[Review on application of plant growth retardants in medicinal plants cultivation].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Yu-Yao; Guo, Bao-Lin; Cheng, Ming

2013-09-01

Plant growth retardants are widely used in cultivation of medicinal plant, but there is still lack of scientific guidance. In order to guide the use of plant growth retardants in medicinal plant cultivation efficiently and reasonably, this paper reviewed the mechanism, function characteristic, plant and soil residue of plant growth retardants, such as chlorocholine chloride, mepiquat chloride, paclobutrazol, unicnazle and succinic acid, and summarized the application of plant growth retardants in medicinal plants cultivation in recent years, with focus on the effect of growth and yield of the officinal organs and secondary metabolites.

Monitoring well inspection and maintenance plan Y-12 Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (revised)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-09-01

Inspection and maintenance of groundwater monitoring wells is a primary element of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP). This document is the revised groundwater monitoring well inspection and maintenance plan for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The plan provides a systematic program for: (1) inspecting the physical condition of monitoring wells at the Y-12 Plant and (2) identifying maintenance needs that will extend the life of each well and ensure that representative groundwater quality samples and hydrologic data are collected from the wells. Original documentation for the Y-12 Plant GWPP monitoring well inspection and maintenance program was provided in HSW, Inc. 1991a. The original revision of the plan specified that only a Monitoring Well Inspection/Maintenance Summary need be updated and reissued each year. Rapid growth of the monitoring well network and changing regulatory requirements have resulted in constant changes to the status of wells (active or inactive) listed on the Monitoring Well Inspection/Maintenance Summary. As a result, a new mechanism to track the status of monitoring wells has been developed and the plan revised to formalize the new business practices. These changes are detailed in Sections 2.4 and 2.5

Configuration of Risk Monitor System by PLant Defense-In.Depth Monitor and Relability Monitor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Lind, Morten; Yang, Ming

2012-01-01

A new method of risk monitor system of a nuclear power plant has been proposed from the aspect by what degree of safety functions incorporated in the plant system is maintained by multiple barriers of defense-in-depth (DiD). Wherein, the central idea is plant DiD risk monitor and reliability...... monitor derived from the four aspects of (i) design principle of nuclear safety to realize DiD concept, (ii) definition of risk and risk to be monitored, (iii) severe accident phenomena as major risk, (iv) scheme of risk ranking, and (v) dynamic risk display. In this paper, the overall frame...... of the proposed frame on risk monitor system is summarized and the detailed discussion is made on the definitions of major terminologies of risk, risk ranking, anatomy of fault occurrence, two-layer configuration of risk monitor, how to configure individual elements of plant DiD risk monitor and its example...

Effect of crop development on biogenic emissions from plant populations grown in closed plant growth chambers

Science.gov (United States)

Batten, J. H.; Stutte, G. W.; Wheeler, R. M.

1995-01-01

The Biomass Production Chamber at John F. Kennedy Space Center is a closed plant growth chamber facility that can be used to monitor the level of biogenic emissions from large populations of plants throughout their entire growth cycle. The head space atmosphere of a 26-day-old lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Waldmann's Green) stand was repeatedly sampled and emissions identified and quantified using GC-mass spectrometry. Concentrations of dimethyl sulphide, carbon disulphide, alpha-pinene, furan and 2-methylfuran were not significantly different throughout the day; whereas, isoprene showed significant differences in concentration between samples collected in light and dark periods. Volatile organic compounds from the atmosphere of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Yecora Rojo) were analysed and quantified from planting to maturity. Volatile plant-derived compounds included 1-butanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, nonanal, benzaldehyde, tetramethylurea, tetramethylthiourea, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran. Concentrations of volatiles were determined during seedling establishment, vegetative growth, anthesis, grain fill and senescence and found to vary depending on the developmental stage. Atmospheric concentrations of benzaldehyde and nonanal were highest during anthesis, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran concentrations were greatest during grain fill, and the concentration of the tetramethylurea peaked during senescence.

Development of nuclear power plant Risk Monitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xiaoming; Sun Jinlong; Ma Chao; Wang Lin; Gu Xiaohui; Bao Zhenli; Qu Yong; Zheng Hao

2014-01-01

Risk Monitor is a tool to monitor the real-time risk of a nuclear power plant for risk management and comprehensive decision-making, which has been widely used all over the world. The nuclear power plant Risk Monitor applies the real-time risk model with low-complicacy that could reflect the plant's actual configuration, automatically reads the plant's configuration information from the engineering system through the developed interface, and efficiently analyzes the plant's risk Dy the intelligent parallel-computing method in order to provide the risk basement for the safety management of nuclear power plant. This paper generally introduces the background, architecture, functions and key technical features of a nuclear power plant Risk Monitor, and validates the risk result, which could well reflect the plant's risk information and has a significant practical value. (authors)

Supervisory monitoring system in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciftcioglu, O.; Turkcan, E.

1997-01-01

Monitoring of a power plant is one of the essential tasks during operation and the computer-based implementations are nowadays seemingly quite mature. However, presently these are still not satisfactory enough to meet the high standards to the licensing requirements and they are mostly not truly integrated to the plant's design-based monitoring system. This is basically due to the robustness problem as the majority of the methods are not robust enough for the monitoring of the safety parameter set in a plant or intelligent supervision. Therefore, a supervisory monitoring system (SMS) in a plant is necessary to supervise the monitoring tasks: determining the objectives to be obtained and finding the means to support them. SMS deals with the changing plant status and the coordination of the information flow among the monitoring subunits. By means of these robustness and consistency in monitoring is achieved. The paper will give the guidelines of knowledge and data management techniques in a framework of robust comprehensive and coordinated monitoring which is presented as supervisory monitoring. Such a high level monitoring serves for consistent and immediate actions in fault situations while this particularly has vital importance in preventing imminent severe accidents next to the issues of recognition of the monitoring procedures for licensing and enhanced plant safety. (author). 8 refs, 5 figs

Plant-wide integrated equipment monitoring and analysis system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morimoto, C.N.; Hunter, T.A.; Chiang, S.C.

2004-01-01

A nuclear power plant equipment monitoring system monitors plant equipment and reports deteriorating equipment conditions. The more advanced equipment monitoring systems can also provide information for understanding the symptoms and diagnosing the root cause of a problem. Maximizing the equipment availability and minimizing or eliminating consequential damages are the ultimate goals of equipment monitoring systems. GE Integrated Equipment Monitoring System (GEIEMS) is designed as an integrated intelligent monitoring and analysis system for plant-wide application for BWR plants. This approach reduces system maintenance efforts and equipment monitoring costs and provides information for integrated planning. This paper describes GEIEMS and how the current system is being upgraded to meet General Electric's vision for plant-wide decision support. (author)

An Evolutionary Robotics Approach to the Control of Plant Growth and Motion: Modeling Plants and Crossing the Reality Gap

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wahby, Mostafa; Hofstadler, Daniel Nicolas; Heinrich, Mary Katherine

2016-01-01

The self-organizing bio-hybrid collaboration of robots and natural plants allows for a variety of interesting applications. As an example we investigate how robots can be used to control the growth and motion of a natural plant, using LEDs to provide stimuli. We follow an evolutionary robotics...... approach where task performance is determined by monitoring the plant's reaction. First, we do initial plant experiments with simple, predetermined controllers. Then we use image sampling data as a model of the dynamics of the plant tip xy position. Second, we use this approach to evolve robot controllers...

Configuration of risk monitor system by plant defense-in-depth risk monitor and reliability monitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Lind Morten; Yang Ming; Hashim Muhammad; Zhang Zhijian

2012-01-01

A new method of risk monitor system of a nuclear power plant has been proposed from the aspect by what degree of safety functions incorporated in the plant system is maintained by multiple barriers of defense-in-depth (DiD). Wherein, the central idea is plant DiD risk monitor and reliability monitor derived from the five aspects of (1) design principle of nuclear safety based on DiD concept, (2) definition of risk and risk to be monitored, (3) severe accident phenomena as major risk, (4) scheme of risk ranking, and (5) dynamic risk display. In this paper, the overall frame of the proposed risk monitor system is summarized and the detailed discussion is made on major items such as definition of risk and risk ranking, anatomy of fault occurrence, two-layer configuration of risk monitor, how to configure individual elements of plant DiD risk monitor, and lastly how to apply for a PWR safety system. (author)

Operation monitor for plant equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Tetsufumi; Kanemoto, Shigeru.

1991-01-01

In a nuclear power plant, states of each of equipment in the plant are monitored accurately even under such a operation condition that the power is changed. That is, the fundamental idea is based on a model comparison method. A deviation between an output signal upon normal plant state obtained in a forecasting model device and that of the objective equipment in the plant are compared with a predetermined value. The result of the comparison is inputted to an alarm device to alarm the abnormality of the states of the equipment to an operator. The device of the present invention thus constituted can monitor the abnormality of the operation of equipment accurately even under such a condition that a power level fluctuates. As a result, it can remarkably contribute to mitigate operator's monitoring operation under the condition such as during load following operation. (I.S.)

Monitoring well plugging and abandonment plan, Y-12 Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (revised)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-05-01

Plugging and abandonment (P ampersand A) of defunct groundwater monitoring wells is a primary element of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP) (AJA Technical Services, Inc. 1996). This document is the revised groundwater monitoring well P ampersand A plan for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 Plant located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This plan describes the systematic approach employed by Y-12 Plant GWPP to identify wells that require P ampersand A, the technical methods employed to perform P ampersand A activities, and administrative requirements. Original documentation for Y-12 Plant GWPP groundwater monitoring well P ampersand A was provided in HSW, Inc. (1991). The original revision of the plan specified that a comprehensive monitoring well P ampersand A was provided in HSW, Inc. (1991). The original revision of the plan specified that a comprehensive monitoring well P ampersand A schedule be maintained. Wells are added to this list by issuance of both a P ampersand A request and a P ampersand A addendum to the schedule. The current Updated Subsurface Data Base includes a single mechanism to track the status of monitoring wells. In addition, rapid growth of the groundwater monitoring network and new regulatory requirements have resulted in constant changes to the status of wells. As a result, a streamlined mechanism to identify and track monitoring wells scheduled for P ampersand A has been developed and the plan revised to formalize the new business practices

Large Plant Growth Chambers: Flying Soon on a Space Station near You!

Science.gov (United States)

Massa, Gioia D.; Morrow, Robert C.; Levine, Howard G.

2014-01-01

-ORBITEC collaboration, and is scheduled to fly on ISS around 2016. This large plant chamber will control light quality, level, and timing, temperature, CO2, relative humidity, and irrigation, while scrubbing ethylene. Additional monitoring capabilities include leaf temperature sensing and root zone moisture and oxygen sensing. The PH light cap will have red (630 nanometers), blue (450 nanometers), green (525 nanometers), far red (730 nanometers) and broad spectrum white light emitting diodes. There will be several internal cameras to monitor and record plant growth and operations.

New developments in online plant monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laipple, Bernd; Langenstein, Magnus

2007-01-01

The large quantities of information produced within plant processes nearly make the plausibility of data impossible without the help of additional tools. For this reason, a variety of plant monitoring tools has been developed in the past which promise a sensible compression of data. The main problem with the offered tools lies with the omission of procedural plausibility. The newly developed plant monitoring system BTB ProcessPlus is based on the VDI 2048 methodology of process data reconciliation. Plausibility and quality control therefore serve as a basis for the system. With this procedural process image, significant diagnosis and monitoring tools have been developed and now offer a fast and economically optimal support in process optimization. This paper describes the methodology according to VDI 2048. The benefits of the online plant monitoring system are demonstrated by means of examples from day-to-day operations. (author)

In-field High Throughput Phenotyping and Cotton Plant Growth Analysis Using LiDAR.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Shangpeng; Li, Changying; Paterson, Andrew H; Jiang, Yu; Xu, Rui; Robertson, Jon S; Snider, John L; Chee, Peng W

2018-01-01

Plant breeding programs and a wide range of plant science applications would greatly benefit from the development of in-field high throughput phenotyping technologies. In this study, a terrestrial LiDAR-based high throughput phenotyping system was developed. A 2D LiDAR was applied to scan plants from overhead in the field, and an RTK-GPS was used to provide spatial coordinates. Precise 3D models of scanned plants were reconstructed based on the LiDAR and RTK-GPS data. The ground plane of the 3D model was separated by RANSAC algorithm and a Euclidean clustering algorithm was applied to remove noise generated by weeds. After that, clean 3D surface models of cotton plants were obtained, from which three plot-level morphologic traits including canopy height, projected canopy area, and plant volume were derived. Canopy height ranging from 85th percentile to the maximum height were computed based on the histogram of the z coordinate for all measured points; projected canopy area was derived by projecting all points on a ground plane; and a Trapezoidal rule based algorithm was proposed to estimate plant volume. Results of validation experiments showed good agreement between LiDAR measurements and manual measurements for maximum canopy height, projected canopy area, and plant volume, with R 2 -values of 0.97, 0.97, and 0.98, respectively. The developed system was used to scan the whole field repeatedly over the period from 43 to 109 days after planting. Growth trends and growth rate curves for all three derived morphologic traits were established over the monitoring period for each cultivar. Overall, four different cultivars showed similar growth trends and growth rate patterns. Each cultivar continued to grow until ~88 days after planting, and from then on varied little. However, the actual values were cultivar specific. Correlation analysis between morphologic traits and final yield was conducted over the monitoring period. When considering each cultivar individually

Monitoring support system for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higashikawa, Yuichi; Kubota, Rhuji; Tanaka, Keiji; Takano, Yoshiyuki

1996-01-01

The nuclear power plants in Japan reach to 49 plants and supply 41.19 million kW in their installed capacities, which is equal to about 31% of total electric power generation and has occupied an important situation as a stable energy supplying source. As an aim to keeping safe operation and working rate of the power plants, various monitoring support systems using computer technology, optical information technology and robot technology each advanced rapidly in recent year have been developed to apply to the actual plants for a plant state monitoring system of operators in normal operation. Furthermore, introduction of the emergent support system supposed on accidental formation of abnormal state of the power plants is also investigated. In this paper, as a monitoring system in the recent nuclear power plants, design of control panel of recent central control room, introduction to its actual plant and monitoring support system in development were described in viewpoints of improvement of human interface, upgrade of sensor and signal processing techniques, and promotion of information service technique. And, trend of research and development of portable miniature detector and emergent monitoring support system are also introduced in a viewpoint of labor saving and upgrade of the operating field. (G.K.)

Martian Soil Plant Growth Experiment: The Effects of Adding Nitrogen, Bacteria, and Fungi to Enhance Plant Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Kliman, D. M.; Cooper, J. B.; Anderson, R. C.

2000-01-01

Plant growth is enhanced by the presence of symbiotic soil microbes. In order to better understand how plants might prosper on Mars, we set up an experiment to test whether symbiotic microbes function to enhance plant growth in a Martian soil simulant.

21 CFR 866.2560 - Microbial growth monitor.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Microbiology Devices § 866.2560 Microbial growth monitor. (a) Identification. A microbial growth monitor is a device intended for medical purposes that...

An Automated and Continuous Plant Weight Measurement System for Plant Factory.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wei-Tai; Yeh, Yu-Hui F; Liu, Ting-Yu; Lin, Ta-Te

2016-01-01

In plant factories, plants are usually cultivated in nutrient solution under a controllable environment. Plant quality and growth are closely monitored and precisely controlled. For plant growth evaluation, plant weight is an important and commonly used indicator. Traditional plant weight measurements are destructive and laborious. In order to measure and record the plant weight during plant growth, an automated measurement system was designed and developed herein. The weight measurement system comprises a weight measurement device and an imaging system. The weight measurement device consists of a top disk, a bottom disk, a plant holder and a load cell. The load cell with a resolution of 0.1 g converts the plant weight on the plant holder disk to an analog electrical signal for a precise measurement. The top disk and bottom disk are designed to be durable for different plant sizes, so plant weight can be measured continuously throughout the whole growth period, without hindering plant growth. The results show that plant weights measured by the weight measurement device are highly correlated with the weights estimated by the stereo-vision imaging system; hence, plant weight can be measured by either method. The weight growth of selected vegetables growing in the National Taiwan University plant factory were monitored and measured using our automated plant growth weight measurement system. The experimental results demonstrate the functionality, stability and durability of this system. The information gathered by this weight system can be valuable and beneficial for hydroponic plants monitoring research and agricultural research applications.

An Automated and Continuous Plant Weight Measurement System for Plant Factory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Tai eChen

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In plant factories, plants are usually cultivated in nutrient solution under a controllable environment. Plant quality and growth are closely monitored and precisely controlled. For plant growth evaluation, plant weight is an important and commonly used indicator. Traditional plant weight measurements are destructive and laborious. In order to measure and record the plant weight during plant growth, an automated measurement system was designed and developed herein. The weight measurement system comprises a weight measurement device and an imaging system. The weight measurement device consists of a top disk, a bottom disk, a plant holder and a load cell. The load cell with a resolution of 0.1 g converts the plant weight on the plant holder disk to an analogue electrical signal for a precise measurement. The top disk and bottom disk are designed to be durable for different plant sizes, so plant weight can be measured continuously throughout the whole growth period, without hindering plant growth. The results show that plant weights measured by the weight measurement device are highly correlated with the weights estimated by the stereo-vision imaging system; hence, plant weight can be measured by either method. The weight growth of selected vegetables growing in the National Taiwan University plant factory were monitored and measured using our automated plant growth weight measurement system. The experimental results demonstrate the functionality, stability and durability of this system. The information gathered by this weight system can be valuable and beneficial for hydroponic plants monitoring research and agricultural research applications.

Chemical Control of Plant Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Agricultural Research Center (USDA), Beltsville, MD.

Seven experiments are presented in this Science Study Aid to help students investigate the control of plant growth with chemicals. Plant growth regulators, weed control, and chemical pruning are the topics studied in the experiments which are based on investigations that have been and are being conducted at the U. S. Agricultural Research Center,…

PLANT-MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS IN THE RHIZOSPHERE – STRATEGIES FOR PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius Stefan

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR are a group of bacteria that can actively colonize plant rootsand enhance plant growth using different mechanisms: production of plant growth regulators like indoleacetic acid,gibberellic acid, cytokinins and ethylene(Zahir et al., 2003, providing the host plant with fixed nitrogen, solubilizationof soil phosphorus, enhance Fe uptake, biocontrol, reducing the concentration of heavy metals. PGPR are perfectcandidates to be used as biofertilizers – eco-friendly alternative to common applied chemical fertilizer in today’sagriculture. The most important benefit of PGPR usage is related to the reduction of environmental pollution in conditionof increasing crop yield. This review presents the main mechanisms involved in PGPR promotion of plant growth.

Plant monitoring and signal validation at HFIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullens, J.A.

1991-01-01

This paper describes a monitoring system for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL'S) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). HFIR is an 85 MW pressurized water reactor designed to produce isotopes and intense neutron beams. The monitoring system is described with respect to plant signals and computer system; monitoring overview; data acquisition, logging and network distribution; signal validation; status displays; reactor condition monitoring; reactor operator aids. Future work will include the addition of more plant signals, more signal validation and diagnostic capabilities, improved status display, integration of the system with the RELAP plant simulation and graphical interface, improved operator aids, and an alarm filtering system. 8 refs., 7 figs. (MB)

In plant corrosion potential monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosborg, B.; Molander, A.

1997-01-01

Examples of in plant redox and corrosion potential monitoring in light water reactors are given. All examples are from reactors in Sweden. The measurements have either been performed in side-stream autoclaves connected to the reactor systems by sampling lines, or in-situ in the system piping itself. Potential monitoring can give quite different results depending upon the experimental method. For environments with small concentrations of oxidants sampling lines can introduce large errors. During such circumstances in-situ measurements are necessary. Electrochemical monitoring is a valuable technique as a complement to conventional water chemistry follow-up in plants. It can be used for water chemistry surveillance and can reveal unintentional and harmful water chemistry transients. (author). 15 figs

In plant corrosion potential monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosborg, B; Molander, A [Studsvik Material AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

1997-02-01

Examples of in plant redox and corrosion potential monitoring in light water reactors are given. All examples are from reactors in Sweden. The measurements have either been performed in side-stream autoclaves connected to the reactor systems by sampling lines, or in-situ in the system piping itself. Potential monitoring can give quite different results depending upon the experimental method. For environments with small concentrations of oxidants sampling lines can introduce large errors. During such circumstances in-situ measurements are necessary. Electrochemical monitoring is a valuable technique as a complement to conventional water chemistry follow-up in plants. It can be used for water chemistry surveillance and can reveal unintentional and harmful water chemistry transients. (author). 15 figs.

On-line acquisition of plant related and environmental parameters (plant monitoring) in gerbera: determining plant responses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baas, R.; Slootweg, G.

2004-01-01

For on-line plant monitoring equipment to be functional in commercial glasshouse horticulture, relations between sensor readings and plant responses on both the short (days) and long term (weeks) are required. For this reason, systems were installed to monitor rockwool grown gerbera plants on a

Plant operation state monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Masanori; Babuchi, Katsumi; Arato, Toshiaki

1994-01-01

The system of the present invention accurately monitors a plant operation state of a plant, such as a nuclear power plant and a thermal power plant by using high temperature water, based on water quality informations. That is, water quality informations for the objective portion by using an electrochemical water quality sensor disposed in the objective portion to be monitored in the plant are continuously extracted for a predetermined period of time. Water quality is evaluated based on the extracted information. Obtained results for water quality evaluation and predetermined reference values of the plant operation handling are compared. Necessary part among the results of the measurement is displayed or recorded. The predetermined period of time described above is a period that the water quality information reaches at least a predetermined value or a period that the predetermined value is estimated by the water quality information, and it is defined as a period capable of measuring the information for three months continuously. The measurement is preferably conducted continuously in a period up to each periodical inspection on about every one year. (I.S.)

Plant performance monitoring program at Krsko NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bach, B.; Kavsek, D.

2004-01-01

A high level of nuclear safety and plant reliability results from the complex interaction of a good design, operational safety and human performance. This is the reason for establishing a set of operational plant safety performance indicators, to enable monitoring of both plant performance and progress. Performance indicators are also used for setting challenging targets and goals for improvement, to gain additional perspective on performance relative to other plants and to provide an indication of a potential need to adjust priorities and resources to achieve improved overall plant performance. A specific indicator trend over a certain period can provide an early warning to plant management to evaluate the causes behind the observed changes. In addition to monitoring the changes and trends, it is also necessary to compare the indicators with identified targets and goals to evaluate performance strengths and weaknesses. Plant Performance Monitoring Program at Krsko NPP defines and ensures consistent collection, processing, analysis and use of predefined relevant plant operational data, providing a quantitative indication of nuclear power plant performance. When the program was developed, the conceptual framework described in IAEA TECDOC-1141 Operational Safety Performance Indicators for Nuclear Power Plants was used as its basis in order to secure that a reasonable set of quantitative indications of operational safety performance would be established. Safe, conservative, cautious and reliable operation of the Krsko NPP is a common goal for all plant personnel. It is provided by continuous assurance of both health and safety of the public and employees according to the plant policy stated in program MD-1 Notranje usmeritve in cilji NEK, which is the top plant program. Establishing a program of monitoring and assessing operational plant safety performance indicators represents effective safety culture of plant personnel.(author)

Intelligent Growth Automaton of Virtual Plant Based on Physiological Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Qingsheng; Guo, Mingwei; Qu, Hongchun; Deng, Qingqing

In this paper, a novel intelligent growth automaton of virtual plant is proposed. Initially, this intelligent growth automaton analyzes the branching pattern which is controlled by genes and then builds plant; moreover, it stores the information of plant growth, provides the interface between virtual plant and environment, and controls the growth and development of plant on the basis of environment and the function of plant organs. This intelligent growth automaton can simulate that the plant growth is controlled by genetic information system, and the information of environment and the function of plant organs. The experimental results show that the intelligent growth automaton can simulate the growth of plant conveniently and vividly.

Growth Chambers on the International Space Station for Large Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Massa, Gioia D.; Wheeler, Raymond M.; Morrow, Robert C.; Levine, Howard G.

2016-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) now has platforms for conducting research on horticultural plant species under LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting, and those capabilities continue to expand. The Veggie vegetable production system was deployed to the ISS as an applied research platform for food production in space. Veggie is capable of growing a wide array of horticultural crops. It was designed for low power usage, low launch mass and stowage volume, and minimal crew time requirements. The Veggie flight hardware consists of a light cap containing red (630 nanometers), blue, (455 nanometers) and green (530 nanometers) LEDs. Interfacing with the light cap is an extendable bellowsbaseplate for enclosing the plant canopy. A second large plant growth chamber, the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), is will fly to the ISS in 2017. APH will be a fully controllable environment for high-quality plant physiological research. APH will control light (quality, level, and timing), temperature, CO2, relative humidity, and irrigation, while scrubbing any cabin or plant-derived ethylene and other volatile organic compounds. Additional capabilities include sensing of leaf temperature and root zone moisture, root zone temperature, and oxygen concentration. The light cap will have red (630 nm), blue (450 nm), green (525 nm), far red (730 nm) and broad spectrum white LEDs (4100K). There will be several internal cameras (visible and IR) to monitor and record plant growth and operations. Veggie and APH are available for research proposals.

Methods to obtain referral criteria in growth monitoring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Dommelen, Paula; Van Buuren, Stef

An important goal of growth monitoring is to identify genetic disorders, diseases or other conditions that manifest themselves through an abnormal growth. The two main conditions that can be detected by height monitoring are Turner's syndrome and growth hormone deficiency. Conditions or risk factors

Error estimation in plant growth analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Gregorczyk

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The scheme is presented for calculation of errors of dry matter values which occur during approximation of data with growth curves, determined by the analytical method (logistic function and by the numerical method (Richards function. Further formulae are shown, which describe absolute errors of growth characteristics: Growth rate (GR, Relative growth rate (RGR, Unit leaf rate (ULR and Leaf area ratio (LAR. Calculation examples concerning the growth course of oats and maize plants are given. The critical analysis of the estimation of obtained results has been done. The purposefulness of joint application of statistical methods and error calculus in plant growth analysis has been ascertained.

Modelling asymmetric growth in crowded plant communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Christian

2010-01-01

A class of models that may be used to quantify the effect of size-asymmetric competition in crowded plant communities by estimating a community specific degree of size-asymmetric growth for each species in the community is suggested. The model consists of two parts: an individual size......-asymmetric growth part, where growth is assumed to be proportional to a power function of the size of the individual, and a term that reduces the relative growth rate as a decreasing function of the individual plant size and the competitive interactions from other plants in the neighbourhood....

Evidence-based referral criteria in growth monitoring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dommelen, P. van

2008-01-01

Growth monitoring in infancy and childhood has been part of preventive child health programs for more than a century in both developed and underdeveloped countries. It is a popular tool for defining health and nutritional status of children. An important goal of growth monitoring is to identify, at

Effects of planting date and plant density on crop growth of cut chrysanthemum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lee, J.H.; Heuvelink, E.; Challa, H.

2002-01-01

The effects of planting date (season) and plant density (32, 48 or 64 plants m-2) on growth of cut chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum (Indicum group)) were investigated in six greenhouse experiments, applying the expolinear growth equation. Final plant fresh and dry mass and number of flowers per plant

On-line plant-wide monitoring using neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turkcan, E.; Ciftcioglu, O.; Eryurek, E.; Upadhyaya, B.R.

1992-06-01

The on-line signal analysis system designed for a multi-level mode operation using neural networks is described. The system is capable of monitoring the plant states by tracking different number of signals up to 32 simultaneously. The data used for this study were acquired from the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant (PWR type), and using the on-line monitoring system. An on-line plant-wide monitoring study using a multilayer neural network model is discussed in this paper. The back-propagation neural network algorithm is used for training the network. The technique assumes that each physical state of the power plant can be represented by a unique pattern of instrument readings which can be related to the condition of the plant. When disturbance occurs, the sensor readings undergo a transient, and form a different set of patterns which represent the new operational status. Diagnosing these patterns can be helpful in identifying this new state of the power plant. To this end, plant-wide monitoring with neutral networks is one of the new techniques in real-time applications. (author). 9 refs.; 5 figs

Effect of metal tolerant plant growth promoting bacteria on growth and metal accumulation in Zea mays plants grown in fly ash amended soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Kalpna V; Patra, D D

2013-01-01

The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of the application of fly ash (FA) into Garden soil (GS), with and without inoculation of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), on the growth and metal uptake by Zea mays plants. Three FA tolerant PGPB strains, Pseudomonas sp. PS5, PS14, and Bacillus sp. BC29 were isolated from FA contaminated soils and assessed for their plant growth promoting features on the Z. mays plants. All three strains were also examined for their ability to solubilize phosphate and to produce Indole Acetic Acid (IAA), siderophores, and hydrogencynide acid (HCN) production. Although inoculation of all strains significantly enhanced the growth of plants at both the concentration of FA but maximum growth was observed in plants inoculated with BC29 and PS14 at low level (25%) of FA concentration. The experimental results explored the plant growth promoting features of selected strains which not only enhanced growth and biomass of plants but also protected them from toxicity of FA.

MODELING THE GROWTH OF EUCALYPTUS PLANTS BASED ON THE THERMAL SUM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Santana de Oliveira

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Among the environmental variables that affect the growth and development of plants, the air temperature is of great importance. In this context, the objectives of this work were to model the growth of eucalyptus seedlings in terms of accumulated degree-days during the production process and model validation. The study was conducted in the forest research nursery of the Department of Forestry, located in Viçosa (MG, during the periods of 08/02/2011 to 28/04/2011 and 03/08/2012 to 01/11/2012, making it possible to contemplate seasonal variations in the production cycle. The monitored variables were shoot height, stem diameter, leaf area, root length and fresh and dry biomass. Results showed that it took 1065 degree-days for the production of seedlings and sigmoidal models obtained showed high correlation and Willmott coefficients, indicating good performance for estimating the growth and development of eucalyptus seedlings. This tool has great potential for planning and monitoring the production of eucalyptus seedlings in nurseries.

Plant monitoring device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Toru.

1994-01-01

The device of the present invention comprises a data collecting section for periodically collecting processed data sent from plant equipments, a top node induction and processing section for an important plant function model for inducing the plant function to be noted particularly by an operator from important plant function models by using process data and a window screen selection section for selecting a window screen to be displayed based on the result of the evaluation for each of function nodes based on the processing described above and determining the layout and automatically forming the display screen. It is constituted so that the kind and the layout of the window under display are checked if they are the same as those one cycle before or not and, if they are different, the screen is automatically switched to a new screen display. Then, operator's psychological burdens such as selection of information and judgement for the operation upon occurrence of plant abnormality and accident can be mitigated, to provide a safe operation circumstance having reinforced monitoring of the function of the whole plant can be provided. (N.H.)

Growth of fluoride treated Kalanchoe pinnata plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, H N; Applegate, H G

1962-01-01

Kalanchoe pinnata plants can absorb fluoride through roots. The absorption is related to the amount of fluoride applied to the soil. There appeared to be a relationship between the amount of fluoride adsorbed and the subsequent growth of the plants. Plants which adsorbed the largest amounts of fluoride had the greatest increase in growth.

Effects of rhizobia and plant growth promoting bacteria inoculation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) stimulate plant growth by producing phytohormone which enhances the growth and physiological activities of the host plant. Recently, legume bacteria (Rhizobium spp.) have been considered as a PGPR for legume as well as non-legumes and have the potential for growth ...

Plant growth-promoting bacteria: mechanisms and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Glick, Bernard R

2012-01-01

The worldwide increases in both environmental damage and human population pressure have the unfortunate consequence that global food production may soon become insufficient to feed all of the world's people. It is therefore essential that agricultural productivity be significantly increased within the next few decades. To this end, agricultural practice is moving toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach. This includes both the increasing use of transgenic plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria as a part of mainstream agricultural practice. Here, a number of the mechanisms utilized by plant growth-promoting bacteria are discussed and considered. It is envisioned that in the not too distant future, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) will begin to replace the use of chemicals in agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, and environmental cleanup strategies. While there may not be one simple strategy that can effectively promote the growth of all plants under all conditions, some of the strategies that are discussed already show great promise.

Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria: Mechanisms and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernard R. Glick

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The worldwide increases in both environmental damage and human population pressure have the unfortunate consequence that global food production may soon become insufficient to feed all of the world's people. It is therefore essential that agricultural productivity be significantly increased within the next few decades. To this end, agricultural practice is moving toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach. This includes both the increasing use of transgenic plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria as a part of mainstream agricultural practice. Here, a number of the mechanisms utilized by plant growth-promoting bacteria are discussed and considered. It is envisioned that in the not too distant future, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB will begin to replace the use of chemicals in agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, and environmental cleanup strategies. While there may not be one simple strategy that can effectively promote the growth of all plants under all conditions, some of the strategies that are discussed already show great promise.

Soil compaction and growth of woody plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kozlowski, T.T. [Univ. of California, Berkeley (United States). Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management

1999-07-01

Although soil compaction in the field may benefit or inhibit the growth of plants, the harmful effects are much more common. This paper emphasizes the deleterious effects of predominantly high levels of soil compaction on plant growth and yield. High levels of soil compaction are common in heavily used recreation areas, construction sites, urban areas, timber harvesting sites, fruit orchards, agroforestry systems and tree nurseries. Compaction can occur naturally by settling or slumping of soil or may be induced by tillage tools, heavy machinery, pedestrian traffic, trampling by animals and fire. Compaction typically alters soil structure and hydrology by increasing soil bulk density; breaking down soil aggregates; decreasing soil porosity, aeration and infiltration capacity; and by increasing soil strength, water runoff and soil erosion. Appreciable compaction of soil leads to physiological dysfunctions in plants. Often, but not always, reduced water absorption and leaf water deficits develop. Soil compaction also induces changes in the amounts and balances of growth hormones in plants, especially increases in abscisic acid and ethylene. Absorption of the major mineral nutrients is reduced by compaction of both surface soils and subsoils. The rate of photosynthesis of plants growing in very compacted soil is decreased by both stomatal and non-stomatal inhibition. Total photosynthesis is reduced as a result of smaller leaf areas. As soils become increasingly compacted respiration of roots shifts toward an anaerobic state. Severe soil compaction adversely influences regeneration of forest stands by inhibiting seed germination and growth of seedlings, and by inducing seedling mortality. Growth of woody plants beyond the seedling stage and yields of harvestable plant products also are greatly decreased by soil compaction because of the combined effects of high soil strength, decreased infiltration of water and poor soil aeration, all of which lead to a decreased

Soil compaction and growth of woody plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozlowski, T.T.

1999-01-01

Although soil compaction in the field may benefit or inhibit the growth of plants, the harmful effects are much more common. This paper emphasizes the deleterious effects of predominantly high levels of soil compaction on plant growth and yield. High levels of soil compaction are common in heavily used recreation areas, construction sites, urban areas, timber harvesting sites, fruit orchards, agroforestry systems and tree nurseries. Compaction can occur naturally by settling or slumping of soil or may be induced by tillage tools, heavy machinery, pedestrian traffic, trampling by animals and fire. Compaction typically alters soil structure and hydrology by increasing soil bulk density; breaking down soil aggregates; decreasing soil porosity, aeration and infiltration capacity; and by increasing soil strength, water runoff and soil erosion. Appreciable compaction of soil leads to physiological dysfunctions in plants. Often, but not always, reduced water absorption and leaf water deficits develop. Soil compaction also induces changes in the amounts and balances of growth hormones in plants, especially increases in abscisic acid and ethylene. Absorption of the major mineral nutrients is reduced by compaction of both surface soils and subsoils. The rate of photosynthesis of plants growing in very compacted soil is decreased by both stomatal and non-stomatal inhibition. Total photosynthesis is reduced as a result of smaller leaf areas. As soils become increasingly compacted respiration of roots shifts toward an anaerobic state. Severe soil compaction adversely influences regeneration of forest stands by inhibiting seed germination and growth of seedlings, and by inducing seedling mortality. Growth of woody plants beyond the seedling stage and yields of harvestable plant products also are greatly decreased by soil compaction because of the combined effects of high soil strength, decreased infiltration of water and poor soil aeration, all of which lead to a decreased

Plant Growth Modeling Using L-System Approach and Its Visualization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atris Suyantohadi

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The visualizationof plant growth modeling using computer simulation has rarely been conducted with Lindenmayer System (L-System approach. L-System generally has been used as framework for improving and designing realistic modeling on plant growth. It is one kind of tools for representing plant growth based on grammar sintax and mathematic formulation. This research aimed to design modeling and visualizing plant growth structure generated using L-System. The environment on modeling design used three dimension graphic on standart OpenGL format. The visualization on system design has been developed by some of L-System grammar, and the output graphic on three dimension reflected on plant growth as a virtual plant growth system. Using some of samples on grammar L-System rules for describing of the charaterictics of plant growth, the visualization of structure on plant growth has been resulted and demonstrated.

Environmental monitoring program for the Ormen Lange Onshore Processing Plant and the Reserve Power Plant at Nyhamna, Gossa. Monitoring of vegetation and soil: re-analyses and establishment of new monitoring plots in 2010.; Miljoeovervaakingsprogram for Ormen Lange landanlegg og Reservegasskraftverk paa Nyhamna, Gossa. Overvaaking av vegetasjon og jord: gjenanalyser og nyetablering av overvaakingsfelter i 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aarrestad, P.A.; Bakkestuen, V.; Stabbetorp, O.E.; Myklebost, Heidi

2011-07-01

The Ormen Lange Onshore Processing Plant in Aukra municipality (Moere og Romsdal county) receives unprocessed gas and condensate from the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea. During processing of sales gas and condensate, the plant emits CO, Co2, Nox, CH4, NMVOC (including BTEX), SO2 and small amounts of heavy metals, as specified in the discharge permit issued by the Climate and Pollution Directorate. The plant started production in 2007, with A/S Norske Shell as operator. In general, emissions of nitrogen and sulphur-containing gasses may affect terrestrial ecosystems through acidification and fertilization of soil and vegetation. The emissions from the onshore plant are calculated to be below the current critical loads for the terrestrial nature types. However, the nitrogen background level in the area of influence is close to the critical loads for oligotrophic habitats. To be able to document any effects of emissions to air on terrestrial ecosystems, a monitoring program for vegetation and soil was established in 2008 in the area of influence from the Ormen Lange Onshore Plant. The monitoring is planned at regular intervals according to the same methods employed in 2008, with the first reanalysis in 2010. The benefits of the monitoring parameters will be continuously evaluated. Statnett has established a Reserve Power Plant with discharge permits of similar substances in the same area as the Ormen Lange Onshore Processing plant, and participates in an extended monitor program from 2010. In 2008 two monitoring sites were established, one with rather high deposition of nitrogen north of the plant within Gule-Stavmyran nature reserve in Fraena municipality (site Gulmyran) and one south of the plant on the island Gossa (site Aukra). Deposition values have been estimated by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). Within each site integrated monitoring of the species composition of the vegetation, plant growth, and chemical content of plants and soil is

Transgenic plants with enhanced growth characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unkefer, Pat J.; Anderson, Penelope S.; Knight, Thomas J.

2018-01-09

The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting dramatically enhanced growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, more efficient nitrogen utilization, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express both glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) are provided. The GPT+GS double-transgenic plants of the invention consistently exhibit enhanced growth characteristics, with T0 generation lines showing an increase in biomass over wild type counterparts of between 50% and 300%. Generations that result from sexual crosses and/or selfing typically perform even better, with some of the double-transgenic plants achieving an astounding four-fold biomass increase over wild type plants.

Transgenic plants with enhanced growth characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unkefer, Pat J.; Anderson, Penelope S.; Knight, Thomas J.

2016-09-06

The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting dramatically enhanced growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, more efficient nitrogen utilization, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express both glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) are provided. The GPT+GS double-transgenic plants of the invention consistently exhibit enhanced growth characteristics, with T0 generation lines showing an increase in biomass over wild type counterparts of between 50% and 300%. Generations that result from sexual crosses and/or selfing typically perform even better, with some of the double-transgenic plants achieving an astounding four-fold biomass increase over wild type plants.

Effect of plant-biostimulant on cassava initial growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Emílio de Souza Magalhães

2016-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Biostimulants are complex substances that promote hormonal balance in plants, favor the genetic potential expression, and enhance growth of shoots and root system. The use of these plant growth promoters in crops can increase quantitatively and qualitatively crop production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a commercial biostimulant on the initial growth of cassava. The experiment was arranged in a 2 x 5 factorial design, corresponding to two cassava cultivars (Cacau-UFV and Coimbra and five biostimulant concentrations (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mL L-1. At 90 days after planting, the characteristics leaf area, plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, total dry matter and dry matter of roots, stems and leaves were evaluated. The biostimulant promoted linear increases in plant height, leaf number, leaf area, total dry matter, dry matter of stems, leaves and roots. The cultivar Cacau-UFV had a higher growth rate than the cultivar Coimbra. The growth promoter stimulated the early growth of the cassava crop.

Analysing growth and development of plants jointly using developmental growth stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Dambreville, Anaëlle; Lauri, Pierre-Éric; Normand, Frédéric; Guédon, Yann

2015-01-01

Plant growth, the increase of organ dimensions over time, and development, the change in plant structure, are often studied as two separate processes. However, there is structural and functional evidence that these two processes are strongly related. The aim of this study was to investigate the co-ordination between growth and development using mango trees, which have well-defined developmental stages. Developmental stages, determined in an expert way, and organ sizes, determined from objective measurements, were collected during the vegetative growth and flowering phases of two cultivars of mango, Mangifera indica. For a given cultivar and growth unit type (either vegetative or flowering), a multistage model based on absolute growth rate sequences deduced from the measurements was first built, and then growth stages deduced from the model were compared with developmental stages. Strong matches were obtained between growth stages and developmental stages, leading to a consistent definition of integrative developmental growth stages. The growth stages highlighted growth asynchronisms between two topologically connected organs, namely the vegetative axis and its leaves. Integrative developmental growth stages emphasize that developmental stages are closely related to organ growth rates. The results are discussed in terms of the possible physiological processes underlying these stages, including plant hydraulics, biomechanics and carbohydrate partitioning. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

On-line acquisition of plant related and environmental parameters (plant monitoring) in gerbera: determining plant responses

OpenAIRE

Baas, R.; Slootweg, G.

2004-01-01

For on-line plant monitoring equipment to be functional in commercial glasshouse horticulture, relations between sensor readings and plant responses on both the short (days) and long term (weeks) are required. For this reason, systems were installed to monitor rockwool grown gerbera plants on a minute-to-minute basis from July 2002 until April 2003. Data collected included, amongst others, crop transpiration from lysimeter data (2 m2), canopy temperature using infrared sensors, rockwool water...

Mechanisms and applications of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria: Current perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Munees Ahemad

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are the soil bacteria inhabiting around/on the root surface and are directly or indirectly involved in promoting plant growth and development via production and secretion of various regulatory chemicals in the vicinity of rhizosphere. Generally, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria facilitate the plant growth directly by either assisting in resource acquisition (nitrogen, phosphorus and essential minerals or modulating plant hormone levels, or indirectly by decreasing the inhibitory effects of various pathogens on plant growth and development in the forms of biocontrol agents. Various studies have documented the increased health and productivity of different plant species by the application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria under both normal and stressed conditions. The plant-beneficial rhizobacteria may decrease the global dependence on hazardous agricultural chemicals which destabilize the agro-ecosystems. This review accentuates the perception of the rhizosphere and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria under the current perspectives. Further, explicit outlooks on the different mechanisms of rhizobacteria mediated plant growth promotion have been described in detail with the recent development and research. Finally, the latest paradigms of applicability of these beneficial rhizobacteria in different agro-ecosystems have been presented comprehensively under both normal and stress conditions to highlight the recent trends with the aim to develop future insights.

Experiences with monitoring and control of microbiological growth in the standby service water system of a BWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zisson, P.S.; Whitaker, J.M.; Neilson, H.L.; Mayne, L.L.

1995-01-01

In 1989, the Unites States Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally recognized the potential for nuclear accidents resulting from microbiological causes. Such causes range from loss of heat transfer due to microbiological fouling, to loss of system integrity caused by microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). As a result of these potential problems, monitoring, mitigation, and control procedures must be developed by all regulated plants. In developing a control and mitigation strategy for the standby service water system of a boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plant, numerous monitoring techniques were employed to evaluate effectiveness. This paper describes the monitoring techniques that were evaluated, and those that ultimately proved to be effective

Prospecting cyanobacterial formulations as plant-growth-promoting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cyanobacteria represent environment-friendly inputs that can lead to savings of nitrogenous fertilisers, in addition to improving plant growth and soil fertility. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the potential of cyanobacteria inoculants as nutrient-management and plant-growth-promoting options for maize hybrids, ...

Pantex Plant meteorological monitoring program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snyder, S.F.

1993-07-01

The current meteorological monitoring program of the US Department of Energy's Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas, is described in detail. Instrumentation, meteorological data collection and management, and program management are reviewed. In addition, primary contacts are noted for instrumentation, calibration, data processing, and alternative databases. The quality assurance steps implemented during each portion of the meteorological monitoring program are also indicated

Plant growth promotion and Penicillium citrinum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Choo Yeon-Sik

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Endophytic fungi are known plant symbionts. They produce a variety of beneficial metabolites for plant growth and survival, as well as defend their hosts from attack of certain pathogens. Coastal dunes are nutrient deficient and offer harsh, saline environment for the existing flora and fauna. Endophytic fungi may play an important role in plant survival by enhancing nutrient uptake and producing growth-promoting metabolites such as gibberellins and auxins. We screened roots of Ixeris repenes (L. A. Gray, a common dune plant, for the isolation of gibberellin secreting endophytic fungi. Results We isolated 15 endophytic fungi from the roots of Ixeris repenes and screened them for growth promoting secondary metabolites. The fungal isolate IR-3-3 gave maximum plant growth when applied to waito-c rice and Atriplex gemelinii seedlings. Analysis of the culture filtrate of IR-3-3 showed the presence of physiologically active gibberellins, GA1, GA3, GA4 and GA7 (1.95 ng/ml, 3.83 ng/ml, 6.03 ng/ml and 2.35 ng/ml, respectively along with other physiologically inactive GA5, GA9, GA12, GA15, GA19, GA20 and, GA24. The plant growth promotion and gibberellin producing capacity of IR-3-3 was much higher than the wild type Gibberella fujikuroi, which was taken as control during present study. GA5, a precursor of bioactive GA3 was reported for the first time in fungi. The fungal isolate IR-3-3 was identified as a new strain of Penicillium citrinum (named as P. citrinum KACC43900 through phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA sequence. Conclusion Isolation of new strain of Penicillium citrinum from the sand dune flora is interesting as information on the presence of Pencillium species in coastal sand dunes is limited. The plant growth promoting ability of this fungal strain may help in conservation and revegetation of the rapidly eroding sand dune flora. Penicillium citrinum is already known for producing mycotoxin citrinin and cellulose digesting

Plant growth promoting bacteria as an alternative strategy for salt tolerance in plants: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Numan, Muhammad; Bashir, Samina; Khan, Yasmin; Mumtaz, Roqayya; Shinwari, Zabta Khan; Khan, Abdul Latif; Khan, Ajmal; Al-Harrasi, Ahmed

2018-04-01

Approximately 5.2 billion hectare agriculture land are affected by erosion, salinity and soil degradation. Salinity stress has significantly affecting the fertile lands, and therefore possesses a huge impact on the agriculture and economy of a country. Salt stress has severe effects on the growth and development of plants as well as reducing its yield. Plants are inherently equipped with stress tolerance ability to responds the specific type of stress. Plants retained specific mechanisms for salt stress mitigation, such as hormonal stimulation, ion exchange, antioxidant enzymes and activation of signaling cascades on their metabolic and genetic frontiers that sooth the stressed condition. Additional to the plant inherent mechanisms, certain plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) also have specialized mechanism that play key role for salt stress tolerance and plant growth promotion. These bacteria triggers plants to produce different plant growth hormones like auxin, cytokinine and gibberellin as well as volatile organic compounds. These bacteria also produces growth regulators like siderophore, which fix nitrogen, solubilize organic and inorganic phosphate. Considering the importance of PGPB in compensation of salt tolerance in plants, the present study has reviewed the different aspect and mechanism of bacteria that play key role in promoting plants growth and yield. It can be concluded that PGPB can be used as a cost effective and economical tool for salinity tolerance and growth promotion in plants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The importance of nitrogen and carbohydrate storage for plant growth of the alpine herb Veratrum album

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kleijn, David; Treier, Urs; Müller-Schärer, Heinz

2005-01-01

availability and vegetation growth were monitored. Veratrum album shoots were experimentally removed when carbohydrate reserves were at a seasonal minimum and the subsequent changes in biomass and reserves were compared with those in control plants.  Reserves did not give V. album a competitive advantage...

Foreign acquisition, plant survival, and employment growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandick, Roger; Görg, Holger

This paper analyses the effect of foreign acquisition on survival probability and employment growth of target plant using data on Swedish manufacturing plants during the period 1993-2002.  An improvement over previous studies is that we take into account firm level heterogeneity by separating...... the lifetime of the acquired plants only if the plant was an exporter.  The effect differs depending on whether the acquisition is horizontal or vertical.  We also find robust positive employment growth effects only for exporters, and only if the takeover is vertical, not horizontal....

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

IAS Admin

known to improve plant growth in many ways when compared to ... roles in agricultural productivity. ... Sustainable agriculture: Sustainable agriculture involves the successful management of agricultural re- ... For the first time Kloepper et al.

Plant growth and gas balance in a plant and mushroom cultivation system

Science.gov (United States)

Kitaya, Y.; Tani, A.; Kiyota, M.; Aiga, I.

1994-11-01

In order to obtain basic data for construction of a plant cultivation system incorporating a mushroom cultivation subsystem in the CELSS, plant growth and atmospheric CO2 balance in the system were investigated. The plant growth was promoted by a high level of CO2 which resulted from the respiration of the mushroom mycelium in the system. The atmospheric CO2 concentration inside the system changed significantly due to the slight change in the net photosynthetic rate of plants and/or the respiration rate of the mushroom when the plant cultivation system combined directly with the mushroom cultivation subsystem.

Process monitoring for reprocessing plant safeguards: a summary review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerr, H.T.; Ehinger, M.H.; Wachter, J.W.; Hebble, T.L.

1986-10-01

Process monitoring is a term typically associated with a detailed look at plant operating data to determine plant status. Process monitoring has been generally associated with operational control of plant processes. Recently, process monitoring has been given new attention for a possible role in international safeguards. International Safeguards Project Office (ISPO) Task C.59 has the goal to identify specific roles for process monitoring in international safeguards. As the preliminary effort associated with this task, a review of previous efforts in process monitoring for safeguards was conducted. Previous efforts mentioned concepts and a few specific applications. None were comprehensive in addressing all aspects of a process monitoring application for safeguards. This report summarizes the basic elements that must be developed in a comprehensive process monitoring application for safeguards. It then summarizes the significant efforts that have been documented in the literature with respect to the basic elements that were addressed

The review of dynamic monitoring technology for crop growth

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hong-wei; Chen, Huai-liang; Zou, Chun-hui; Yu, Wei-dong

2010-10-01

In this paper, crop growth monitoring methods are described elaborately. The crop growth models, Netherlands-Wageningen model system, the United States-GOSSYM model and CERES models, Australia APSIM model and CCSODS model system in China, are introduced here more focus on the theories of mechanism, applications, etc. The methods and application of remote sensing monitoring methods, which based on leaf area index (LAI) and biomass were proposed by different scholars at home and abroad, are highly stressed in the paper. The monitoring methods of remote sensing coupling with crop growth models are talked out at large, including the method of "forced law" which using remote sensing retrieval state parameters as the crop growth model parameters input, and then to enhance the dynamic simulation accuracy of crop growth model and the method of "assimilation of Law" which by reducing the gap difference between the value of remote sensing retrieval and the simulated values of crop growth model and thus to estimate the initial value or parameter values to increasing the simulation accuracy. At last, the developing trend of monitoring methods are proposed based on the advantages and shortcomings in previous studies, it is assured that the combination of remote sensing with moderate resolution data of FY-3A, MODIS, etc., crop growth model, "3S" system and observation in situ are the main methods in refinement of dynamic monitoring and quantitative assessment techniques for crop growth in future.

by recycled subirrigational supply of plant growth retardants

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-05-16

May 16, 2008 ... an ebb and flow system on the growth and flowering of kalanchoe cultivar 'Gold Strike' was examined. Plants potted in 10 cm .... photoperiod during the first six weeks after pinching. .... stage and adverse influences on overall growth of the plants. ..... retardants on the growth and flowering in poinsettia. RDA.

Vibration control and monitoring in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theodor, P.

1989-01-01

Nuclear Power Plants are operated with a computer system support. The computer system for a nuclear power plant is designed to reliably monitor plant parameters and perform a series of operations and calculations designed to allow increased plant operation efficiency. Rotating machinery surveillance methods for the recognition of damage are particularly important in Nuclear Power Plants. Deviation of the vibration behavior from normal conditions is an indicator of the development of incipient faults and can be reliably recognized by the use of vibration monitoring systems. Machinery Condition Monitoring is defined as a method or methods of surveillance designed to recognize changes from a norm and is also a warning or it initiates an automatic shutdown when the changes exceed limiting values or safety limits. This paper reports that it is important to distinguish between surveillance and diagnostics. Whereas the former is necessary for protection, the latter is not generally required until it becomes necessary to identify the source of a known anomaly

The use of BEACON monitoring in plant power uprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, Wade

2003-01-01

BEACON is the core support software technology that provides Utilities with continuous 3-D core power distribution monitoring, operational analysis capability, and operations support capability. BEACON monitoring delivers quantifiable plant margins for both reload design and plant operations improvement. When linked to Plant Power Upratings, BEACON permits an improvement in fuel cycle economics through higher peaking factors, higher power levels and higher discharge burnups. Operational flexibility of Uprated Plants is enhanced through elimination of axial power shape and core power tilt specifications. Also, the number of flux maps for these plants is reduced and local power is monitored continuously, permitting faster power escalation. Integrated 3-D power distribution analysis capabilities provide core designers with historical margin data that permits a reduction in core follow requirements as well as reduced curve book data related scope. Examples of specific Uprated Plant applications will be discussed. In anticipation of future needs of Uprated Plants, plans to integrate the technology of BEACON with COLSS are being executed. Finally, the capability to monitor Crud Induced Power Shift (axial offset) is also planned for incorporation into BEACON in the near future and will be discussed

Application of Equipment Monitoring Technology in Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, H. T.; Lee, J. K.; Lee, K. D.; Jo, S. H.

2012-01-01

The major goal of nuclear power industries during the past 10 years is to increase reliability and utility capacity factor. As the capacitor factor, however, crept upward. it became harder to attain next percentage of improvement. Therefore other innovative technologies are required. By the technologies applied to the fossil power plants, equipment health monitoring was performed on equipment to maintain it in operable condition and contributed on improving their reliability a lot. But the equipment monitoring may be limited to the observation of current system states in nuclear power plant. Monitoring of current system states is being augmented with prediction of future operating states and predictive diagnosis of future failure states. Such predictive diagnosis is motivated by the need for nuclear power plants to optimize equipment performance and reduce costs and unscheduled downtime. This paper reviews the application of techniques that focus on improving reliability in nuclear power plant by monitoring and predicting equipment health and suggests how possible to support on-line monitoring

Spiral Growth in Plants: Models and Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Bradford D.

2004-01-01

The analysis and simulation of spiral growth in plants integrates algebra and trigonometry in a botanical setting. When the ideas presented here are used in a mathematics classroom/computer lab, students can better understand how basic assumptions about plant growth lead to the golden ratio and how the use of circular functions leads to accurate…

Plant growth strategies are remodeled by spaceflight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Anna-Lisa

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Arabidopsis plants were grown on the International Space Station within specialized hardware that combined a plant growth habitat with a camera system that can capture images at regular intervals of growth. The Imaging hardware delivers telemetric data from the ISS, specifically images received in real-time from experiments on orbit, providing science without sample return. Comparable Ground Controls were grown in a sister unit that is maintained in the Orbital Environment Simulator at Kennedy Space Center. One of many types of biological data that can be analyzed in this fashion is root morphology. Arabidopsis seeds were geminated on orbit on nutrient gel Petri plates in a configuration that encouraged growth along the surface of the gel. Photos were taken every six hours for the 15 days of the experiment. Results In the absence of gravity, but the presence of directional light, spaceflight roots remained strongly negatively phototropic and grew in the opposite direction of the shoot growth; however, cultivars WS and Col-0 displayed two distinct, marked differences in their growth patterns. First, cultivar WS skewed strongly to the right on orbit, while cultivar Col-0 grew with little deviation away from the light source. Second, the Spaceflight environment also impacted the rate of growth in Arabidopsis. The size of the Flight plants (as measured by primary root and hypocotyl length was uniformly smaller than comparably aged Ground Control plants in both cultivars. Conclusions Skewing and waving, thought to be gravity dependent phenomena, occur in spaceflight plants. In the presence of an orienting light source, phenotypic trends in skewing are gravity independent, and the general patterns of directional root growth typified by a given genotype in unit gravity are recapitulated on orbit, although overall growth patterns on orbit are less uniform. Skewing appears independent of axial orientation on the ISS – suggesting

Fully integrated safeguards and security for reprocessing plant monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duran, Felicia Angelica; Ward, Rebecca; Cipiti, Benjamin B.; Middleton, Bobby D.

2011-01-01

Nuclear fuel reprocessing plants contain a wealth of plant monitoring data including material measurements, process monitoring, administrative procedures, and physical protection elements. Future facilities are moving in the direction of highly-integrated plant monitoring systems that make efficient use of the plant data to improve monitoring and reduce costs. The Separations and Safeguards Performance Model (SSPM) is an analysis tool that is used for modeling advanced monitoring systems and to determine system response under diversion scenarios. This report both describes the architecture for such a future monitoring system and present results under various diversion scenarios. Improvements made in the past year include the development of statistical tests for detecting material loss, the integration of material balance alarms to improve physical protection, and the integration of administrative procedures. The SSPM has been used to demonstrate how advanced instrumentation (as developed in the Material Protection, Accounting, and Control Technologies campaign) can benefit the overall safeguards system as well as how all instrumentation is tied into the physical protection system. This concept has the potential to greatly improve the probability of detection for both abrupt and protracted diversion of nuclear material.

Integrated monitoring of wind plant systems

Science.gov (United States)

Whelan, Matthew J.; Janoyan, Kerop D.; Qiu, Tong

2008-03-01

Wind power is a renewable source of energy that is quickly gaining acceptance by many. Advanced sensor technologies have currently focused solely on improving wind turbine rotor aerodynamics and increasing of the efficiency of the blade design and concentration. Alternatively, potential improvements in wind plant efficiency may be realized through reduction of reactionary losses of kinetic energy to the structural and substructural systems supporting the turbine mechanics. Investigation of the complete dynamic structural response of the wind plant is proposed using a large-scale, high-rate wireless sensor network. The wireless network enables sensors to be placed across the sizable structure, including the rotating blades, without consideration of cabling issues and the economic burden associated with large spools of measurement cables. A large array of multi-axis accelerometers is utilized to evaluate the modal properties of the system as well as individual members and would enable long-term structural condition monitoring of the wind turbine as well. Additionally, environmental parameters, including wind speed, temperature, and humidity, are wirelessly collected for correlation. Such a wireless system could be integrated with electrical monitoring sensors and actuators and incorporated into a remote multi-turbine centralized plant monitoring and control system.

EDGAR, a new plant radiation monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuong, Q.M.; Da Costa Vieira, D.

2004-01-01

The EDGAR system is a new radiation monitoring system for nuclear power plant, reprocessing plant and nuclear research reactor for radioactive contamination, gamma and neutron field monitoring. Developed by French Atomic Energy Agency, this system provides not only complete functions of standard RMS, also allows spectroscopy level detection of alpha and beta particles based on a patented collimator unit. A complete computerized approach has been taken allowing full installation control in a single PC based display and communication unit. (author)

Continuous monitoring methods for assessment of structural integrity in nuclear power plants; Jatkuvan monitoroinnin menetelmaet rakenteiden eheyden varmistamiseen ydinvoimaloissa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarkimo, M

1998-01-01

This report is a review of the frequently used continuous monitoring methods that are applied or can possibly be applied in nuclear power plants. The methods covered include condition monitoring and non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques that can be used to detect flaws in components and the malfunction of machinery. The specific techniques for water chemistry monitoring are not covered by this report. The systems based on acoustic emission are considered to be suitable for continuous monitoring applications and these are discussed in greater detail compared to other methods. The loose parts monitoring and leak detection systems based on acoustic emission have practical applications in several nuclear power plants. The real-time monitoring of crack-tip movement using the ultrasonic method is also discussed. Some results are also referred to from the research and development work to monitor crack initiation and growth on the surface of high-speed rotating components using the electromagnetic method. Vibration measurements and analysis are mentioned as a usual tool for monitoring the condition of rotating machinery but also some special aspects of nuclear power plants are included. Finally the on-line fatigue and integrity monitoring systems are briefly discussed and given some considerations regarding the material property measurements using continuous non-destructive methods. (orig.). 34 refs.

Increasing rice plant growth by Trichoderma sp.

Science.gov (United States)

Doni, Febri; Isahak, Anizan; Zain, Che Radziah Che Mohd; Sulaiman, Norela; Fathurahman, F.; Zain, Wan Nur Syazana Wan Mohd.; Kadhimi, Ahsan A.; Alhasnawi, Arshad Naji; Anhar, Azwir; Yusoff, Wan Mohtar Wan

2016-11-01

Trichoderma sp. is a plant growth promoting fungi in many crops. Initial observation on the ability to enhance rice germination and vigor have been reported. In this study, the effectiveness of a local isolate Trichoderma asprellum SL2 to enhance rice seedling growth was assessed experimentally under greenhouse condition using a completely randomized design. Results showed that inoculation of rice plants with Trichoderma asprellum SL2 significantly increase rice plants height, root length, wet weight, leaf number and biomass compared to untreated rice plants (control). The result of this study can serve as a reference for further work on the application of beneficial microorganisms to enhance rice production.

Foreign acquisition, plant survival, and employment growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandick, Roger; Görg, Holger

2010-01-01

This paper analyzes the effect of foreign acquisition on survival and employment growth of targets using data on Swedish manufacturing plants.We separate targeted plants into those within Swedish MNEs, Swedish exporting non-MNEs, and purely domestic firms. The results, controlling for possible...... acquisitions. We find robust positive employment growth effects only for exporters and only if the takeover is vertical....

Engineered nanomaterials for plant growth and development: A perspective analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Sandeep Kumar; Das, Ashok Kumar; Patel, Manoj Kumar; Shah, Ashish; Kumar, Vinay; Gantait, Saikat

2018-07-15

With the overwhelmingly rapid advancement in the field of nanotechnology, the engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have been extensively used in various areas of the plant system, including quality improvement, growth and nutritional value enhancement, gene preservation etc. There are several recent reports on the ENMs' influence on growth enhancements, growth inhibition as well as certain toxic impacts on plant. However, translocation, growth responses and stress modulation mechanisms of ENMs in the plant systems call for better and in-depth understanding. Herein, we are presenting a comprehensive and critical account of different types of ENMs, their applications and their positive, negative and null impacts on physiological and molecular aspects of plant growth, development and stress responses. Recent reports revealed mixed effects on plants, ranging from enhanced crop yield, epi/genetic alterations, and phytotoxicity, resulting from the ENMs' exposure. Creditable research in recent years has revealed that the effects of ENMs on plants are species specific and are variable among plant species. ENM exposures are reported to trigger free radical formation, responsive scavenging, and antioxidant armories in the exposed plants. The ENMs are also reported to induce aberrant expressions of microRNAs, the key post-transcriptional regulators of plant growth, development and stress-responses of plants. However, these modulations, if judiciously done, may lead to improved plant growth and yield. A better understanding of the interactions between ENMs and plant responses, including their uptake transport, internalization, and activity, could revolutionize crop production through increased disease resistance, nutrient utilization, and crop yield. Therefore, in this review, we are presenting a critical account of the different selected ENMs, their uptake by the plants, their positive/negative impacts on plant growth and development, along with the resultant ENM-responsive post

Graphene quantum dots as enhanced plant growth regulators: effects on coriander and garlic plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakravarty, Disha; Erande, Manisha B; Late, Dattatray J

2015-10-01

We report investigations on the use of graphene quantum dots for growth enhancement in coriander (Coriandrum sativam L.) and garlic (Allium sativum) plants. The as-received seeds of coriander and garlic were treated with 0.2 mg mL(-1) of graphene quantum dots for 3 h before planting. Graphene quantum dots enhanced the growth rate in coriander and garlic plants, including leaves, roots, shoots, flowers and fruits, when the seeds were treated with graphene quantum dots. Our investigations open up the opportunity to use graphene quantum dots as plant growth regulators that can be used in a variety of other food plants for high yield. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Creep-fatigue monitoring system for header ligaments of fossil power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, K.L.; Deardorf, A.F.; Copeland, J.F.; Pflasterer, R.; Beckerdite, G.

1993-01-01

The cracking of headers (primary and secondary superheater outlet, and reheater outlet headers) at ligament locations is an important issue for fossil power plants. A model for crack initiation and growth has been developed, based on creep-fatigue damage mechanisms. This cracking model is included in a creep-fatigue monitoring system to assess header structural integrity under high temperature operating conditions. The following principal activities are required to achieve this goal: (1) the development of transfer functions and (2) the development of a ligament cracking model. The first task is to develop stress transfer functions to convert measured (monitored) temperatures, pressures and flow rates into stresses to be used to compute damage. Elastic three-dimensional finite element analyses were performed to study transient thermal stress behavior. The sustained pressure stress redistribution due to high temperature creep was studied by nonlinear finite element analyses. The preceding results are used to derive Green's functions and pressure stress gradient transfer functions for monitoring at the juncture of the tube with the header inner surface, and for crack growth at the ligaments. The virtual crack closure method is applied to derive a stress intensity factor K solution for a corner crack at the tube/header juncture. Similarly, using the reference stress method, the steady state creep crack growth parameter C * is derived for a header corner crack. The C * solution for a small corner crack in a header can be inserted directed into the available C t solution, along with K to provide the complete transient creep solution

Portraying mechanics of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dweipayan Goswami

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Population growth and increase in food requirement is the global problem. It is inevitable to introduce new practices that help to increase agricultural productivity. Use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR has shown potentials to be a promising technique in the practice of sustainable agriculture. A group of natural soil microbial flora acquire dwelling in the rhizosphere and on the surface of the plant roots which impose beneficial effect on the overall well-being of the plant are categorized as PGPR. Researchers are actively involved in understanding plant growth promoting mechanics employed by PGPR. Broadly, these are divided into direct and indirect mechanics. Any mechanism that directly enhances plant growth either by providing nutrients or by producing growth regulators are portrayed as direct mechanics. Whereas, any mechanisms that protects plant from acquiring infections (biotic stress or helps plant to grow healthily under environmental stresses (abiotic stress are considered indirect mechanics. This review is focused to describe cogent mechanics employed by PGPR that assists plant to sustain healthy growth. Also, we emphasized on the PGPR-based products which have been commercially developed exploiting these mechanics of PGPR.

ARBRE monitoring - ecology of short rotation coppice. Four year study involving wildlife monitoring of commercial SCR plantations planted on arable land and arable control plots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cunningham, M.D.; Bishop, J.D.; McKay, H.V.; Sage, R.B.

2004-07-01

This report summarises the findings of the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) funded project monitoring wildlife within and around a number of commercially managed Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) plantations aimed at using the information gathered to assess the ecological impact of SRC plantations on the wildlife in the area. The background to the study is traced, and details are given of the monitoring programme examining the distribution of flora and fauna within the plantations, and the monitoring of birds, plants, insects and butterflies. The greater diversity of wildlife and plants in the SRC plots, the higher densities of birds, and the increasing number of butterfly species are discussed along with the increased mean number of invertebrate orders with subsequent growth of willow coppices, and the habitats at the edges of the plots and at headlands designed for access to machinery within the plots.

Environmental monitoring report for Plantex Plant covering 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, R.E.; Cornelius, V.A.

1980-05-01

The environmental monitoring program at Pantex Plant for 1979 is summarized. Monitoring data for both radioactive and non-radioactive species in the local environment are presented. Although plant activities involve the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium, and tritium, only small releases of uranium (depleted in the isotope 235 U) and tritium occurred which could have affected the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of these nuclides in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore do not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public

Application of fatigue monitoring system in PWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piao Lei

2014-01-01

Fatigue failure is one form of equipment failure of nuclear power plant, influencing equipment lifetime and lifetime extension. Fatigue monitoring system can track real thermal transient at fatigue sensitive components, establish a basis for fatigue analyses based on realistic operating loads, identify unexpected operational transients, optimize the plant behavior by improved operating modes, provide supporting data for lifetime management, enhance security of plant and reduce economical loss. Fatigue monitoring system has been applied in many plants and is required to be applied in Generation-III nuclear power plant. It is necessary to develop the fatigue monitoring system with independent intellectual property rights and improve the competitiveness of domestic Generation-III nuclear power technology. (author)

An Annual Plant Growth Proxy in the Mojave Desert Using MODIS-EVI Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Cynthia S A; Thomas, Kathryn A

2008-12-03

In the arid Mojave Desert, the phenological response of vegetation is largely dependent upon the timing and amount of rainfall, and maps of annual plant cover at any one point in time can vary widely. Our study developed relative annual plant growth models as proxies for annual plant cover using metrics that captured phenological variability in Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) satellite images. We used landscape phenologies revealed in MODIS data together with ecological knowledge of annual plant seasonality to develop a suite of metrics to describe annual growth on a yearly basis. Each of these metrics was applied to temporally-composited MODIS-EVI images to develop a relative model of annual growth. Each model was evaluated by testing how well it predicted field estimates of annual cover collected during 2003 and 2005 at the Mojave National Preserve. The best performing metric was the spring difference metric, which compared the average of three spring MODIS-EVI composites of a given year to that of 2002, a year of record drought. The spring difference metric showed correlations with annual plant cover of R² = 0.61 for 2005 and R² = 0.47 for 2003. Although the correlation is moderate, we consider it supportive given the characteristics of the field data, which were collected for a different study in a localized area and are not ideal for calibration to MODIS pixels. A proxy for annual growth potential was developed from the spring difference metric of 2005 for use as an environmental data layer in desert tortoise habitat modeling. The application of the spring difference metric to other imagery years presents potential for other applications such as fuels, invasive species, and dust-emission monitoring in the Mojave Desert.

An Annual Plant Growth Proxy in the Mojave Desert Using MODIS-EVI Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn A. Thomas

2008-12-01

Full Text Available In the arid Mojave Desert, the phenological response of vegetation is largely dependent upon the timing and amount of rainfall, and maps of annual plant cover at any one point in time can vary widely. Our study developed relative annual plant growth models as proxies for annual plant cover using metrics that captured phenological variability in Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI satellite images. We used landscape phenologies revealed in MODIS data together with ecological knowledge of annual plant seasonality to develop a suite of metrics to describe annual growth on a yearly basis. Each of these metrics was applied to temporally-composited MODIS-EVI images to develop a relative model of annual growth. Each model was evaluated by testing how well it predicted field estimates of annual cover collected during 2003 and 2005 at the Mojave National Preserve. The best performing metric was the spring difference metric, which compared the average of three spring MODIS-EVI composites of a given year to that of 2002, a year of record drought. The spring difference metric showed correlations with annual plant cover of R2 = 0.61 for 2005 and R2 = 0.47 for 2003. Although the correlation is moderate, we consider it supportive given the characteristics of the field data, which were collected for a different study in a localized area and are not ideal for calibration to MODIS pixels. A proxy for annual growth potential was developed from the spring difference metric of 2005 for use as an environmental data layer in desert tortoise habitat modeling. The application of the spring difference metric to other imagery years presents potential for other applications such as fuels, invasive species, and dust-emission monitoring in the Mojave Desert.

Effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria on the growth and fructan production of Agave americana L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neyser De La Torre-Ruiz

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria inoculation on plant growth and the sugar content in Agave americana was assessed. The bacterial strains ACO-34A, ACO-40, and ACO-140, isolated from the A. americana rhizosphere, were selected for this study to evaluate their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. The three bacterial strains were evaluated via plant inoculation assays, and Azospirillum brasilense Cd served as a control strain. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that strains ACO-34A, ACO-40 and ACO-140 were Rhizobium daejeonense, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Pseudomonas mosselii, respectively. All of the strains were able to synthesize indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, solubilize phosphate, and had nitrogenase activity. Inoculation using the plant growth-promoting bacteria strains had a significant effect (p < 0.05 on plant growth and the sugar content of A. americana, showing that these native plant growth-promoting bacteria are a practical, simple, and efficient alternative to promote the growth of agave plants with proper biological characteristics for agroindustrial and biotechnological use and to increase the sugar content in this agave species.

Efficiency of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial bacteria that colonize plant roots and enhance plant growth by a wide variety of mechanisms. The use of PGPR is steadily increasing in agriculture and offers an attractive way to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements. Here, we have isolated and ...

Plant growth-promoting bacteria for phytostabilization of mine tailings.

Science.gov (United States)

Grandlic, Christopher J; Mendez, Monica O; Chorover, Jon; Machado, Blenda; Maier, Raina M

2008-03-15

Eolian dispersion of mine tailings in arid and semiarid environments is an emerging global issue for which economical remediation alternatives are needed. Phytostabilization, the revegetation of these sites with native plants, is one such alternative. Revegetation often requires the addition of bulky amendments such as compost which greatly increases cost. We report the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) to enhance the revegetation of mine tailings and minimize the need for compost amendment. Twenty promising PGPB isolates were used as seed inoculants in a series of greenhouse studies to examine revegetation of an extremely acidic, high metal contenttailings sample previously shown to require 15% compost amendment for normal plant growth. Several isolates significantly enhanced growth of two native species, quailbush and buffalo grass, in tailings. In this study, PGPB/compost outcomes were plant specific; for quailbush, PGPB were most effective in combination with 10% compost addition while for buffalo grass, PGPB enhanced growth in the complete absence of compost. Results indicate that selected PGPB can improve plant establishment and reduce the need for compost amendment. Further, PGPB activities necessary for aiding plant growth in mine tailings likely include tolerance to acidic pH and metals.

Paradigm shift in plant growth control.

Science.gov (United States)

Körner, Christian

2015-06-01

For plants to grow they need resources and appropriate conditions that these resources are converted into biomass. While acknowledging the importance of co-drivers, the classical view is still that carbon, that is, photosynthetic CO2 uptake, ranks above any other drivers of plant growth. Hence, theory and modelling of growth traditionally is carbon centric. Here, I suggest that this view is not reflecting reality, but emerged from the availability of methods and process understanding at leaf level. In most cases, poorly understood processes of tissue formation and cell growth are governing carbon demand, and thus, CO2 uptake. Carbon can only be converted into biomass to the extent chemical elements other than carbon, temperature or cell turgor permit. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTING MICROBIAL INOCULANT FOR Schizolobium parahyba pv. parahyba

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priscila Jane Romano de Oliveira Gonçalves

2015-08-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTSchizolobium parahyba pv. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke Barneby (paricá occurs naturally in the Amazon and is significant commercial importance due to its rapid growth and excellent performance on cropping systems. The aim of this paper was to evaluate a microbial inoculants such as arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF and Rhizobium sp. that promote plant growth. The inocula was 10 g of root colonized and spores of Glomus clarum and/or 1 mL of cell suspension (107 CFU/mL of Rhizobium sp. and/or 100 g of chemical fertilizer NPK 20-05-20 per planting hole. The experimental design was complete randomized blocks with five replications and eight treatments (n = 800. Plant height, stem diameter and plant survival were measured. The results were tested for normality and homogeneity of variances and analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey test (p < 0.05. Rhizobium sp and AM fungi showed no effect on plant growth. Environmental factors probably influenced the effectiveness of symbiosis of both microorganisms and plant growth. The chemical fertilizer increased S. parahyba growth. During the first 120 days plants suffered with drought and frost, and at 180 days plants inoculated with microorganism plus chemical fertilizer showed higher survival when compared with control. The results showed that the microbial inoculants used showed an important role on plant survival after high stress conditions, but not in plant growth. Also was concluded that the planting time should be between November to December to avoid the presence of young plants during winter time that is dry and cold.

Symbiotic regulation of plant growth, development and reproduction

Science.gov (United States)

Russell J. Rodriguez; D. Carl Freeman; E. Durant McArthur; Yong Ok Kim; Regina S. Redman

2009-01-01

The growth and development of rice (Oryzae sativa) seedlings was shown to be regulated epigenetically by a fungal endophyte. In contrast to un-inoculated (nonsymbiotic) plants, endophyte colonized (symbiotic) plants preferentially allocated resources into root growth until root hairs were well established. During that time symbiotic roots expanded at...

Diversity and Plant Growth Promoting Proerties of Rhizobacteria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and assess the plant growth promoting characteristics and diversity of major tef rhizosphere isolates from central Ethiopia. A total of 162 bacteria were isolated from rhizosphere of tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] and characterized. While screening using some plant growth ...

Environmental monitoring report for Pantex Plant covering 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, R.E.; Laseter, W.A.

1981-03-01

This report summarizes the environmental monitoring program at Pantex Plant for 1980. Monitoring data for both radioactive and non-radioactive species in the local environment is presented. Although plant activities involve the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium, and tritium, only small releases of uranium (depleted in the isotope 235 U) and tritium occurred which could have affected the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of these nuclides in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore do not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public

Environmental monitoring report for Pantex Plant covering 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laseter, W.A.

1983-03-01

This report summarizes the environmental monitoring program at Pantex Plant for 1982. Monitoring data for both radioactive and non-radioactive species in the local environment is presented. Plant activities involve the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium, and tritium. However, only small releases of uranium (depleted in the isotope 235 U) and tritium occurred which could have affected the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of these nuclides in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore should not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public

Risk monitor riskangel for risk-informed applications in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fang; Wang, Jiaqun; Wang, Jin; Li, Yazhou; Hu, Liqin; Wu, Yican

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A general risk monitor riskangel with high-speed cutsets generator engine. • Benchmarks of actual nuclear power plant (NPP) instantaneous risk models. • Applications in daily operation, maintenance plan and component out of service. - Abstract: This paper studied the requirements of risk monitor software and its applications as a plant specific risk monitor, which supports risk-informed configuration risk management for the two CANDU 6 units at the Third Qinshan nuclear power plant (TQNPP) in China. It also describes the regulatory prospective on risk-informed Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) applications and the use of risk monitor at operating nuclear power plants, high level technical and functional requirements for the development of CANDU specific risk monitor software, and future development trends.

Nuclear power plant monitoring using real-time learning neural network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabeshima, Kunihiko; Tuerkcan, E.; Ciftcioglu, O.

1994-01-01

In the present research, artificial neural network (ANN) with real-time adaptive learning is developed for the plant wide monitoring of Borssele Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Adaptive ANN learning capability is integrated to the monitoring system so that robust and sensitive on-line monitoring is achieved in real-time environment. The major advantages provided by ANN are that system modelling is formed by means of measurement information obtained from a multi-output process system, explicit modelling is not required and the modelling is not restricted to linear systems. Also ANN can respond very fast to anomalous operational conditions. The real-time ANN learning methodology with adaptive real-time monitoring capability is described below for the wide-range and plant-wide data from an operating nuclear power plant. The layered neural network with error backpropagation algorithm for learning has three layers. The network type is auto-associative, inputs and outputs are exactly the same, using 12 plant signals. (author)

Environmental monitoring at the Savannah River Plant. Annual report, 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeigler, C.C.; Lawrimore, I.B.; O'Rear, W.E.

1985-06-01

Ensuring the radiation safety of the public in the vicinity of the Savannah River Plant was a foremost consideration in the design of the plant and has continued to be a primary objective during 31 years of SRP operations. An extensive surveillance program has been continuously maintained since 1951 (before SRP startup) to determine the concentrations of radionuclides in the environment of the plant. The results of this comprehensive monitoring program are reported annually in two publications. The first, ''Savannah River Plant Environmental Report for 1984'' [DPSPU85-30-1], contains radiation dose data, routine radiological and nonradiological environmental surveillance activities, summaries of environmental protection programs that are in progress, summaries of sitewide environmental research and management programs, and a summary of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities. This report is the second and contains primarily radiation dose data and radiological and nonradiological monitoring data both onsite and offsite. It is placed in Department of Energy (DOE) reading rooms and is available to the public upon request. A listing of corresponding reports that have been issued since before plant startup is presented in Appendix A. The scope of the environmental monitoring program at SRP has increased significantly during the years since plant startup. The change is reflected in annual reports. Prior to the mid-1970's the reports contained primarily radiological monitoring data. Beginning in the mid-1970's the reports started including more and more nonradiological monitoring data as those programs increased. The nonradiological monitoring program now approaches the size and extensiveness of the radiological monitoring program

Potential drop technique for monitoring stress corrosion cracking growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neves, Celia F.C.; Schvartzman, Monica M.A.M.; Moreira, Pedro A.L.D.P.L.P.

2002-01-01

Stress corrosion cracking is one of most severe damage mechanisms influencing the lifetime of components in the operation of nuclear power plants. To assess the initiation stages and kinetics of crack growth as the main parameters coming to residual lifetime determination, the testing facility should allow active loading of specimens in the environment which is close to the real operation conditions of assessed component. Under cooperation of CDTN/CNEN and International Atomic Energy Agency a testing system has been developed by Nuclear Research Institute, Czech Republic, that will be used for the environmentally assisted cracking testing at CDTN/CNEN. The facility allows high temperature autoclave corrosion mechanical testing in well-defined LWR water chemistry using constant load, slow strain rate and rising displacement techniques. The facility consists of autoclave and refreshing water loop enabling testing at temperatures up to 330 deg C. Active loading system allows the maximum load on a specimen as high as 60 kN. The potential drop measurement is used to determine the instant crack length and its growth rate. The paper presents the facility and describes the potential drop technique, that is one of the most used techniques to monitor crack growth in specimens under corrosive environments. (author)

Monitoring the effects of atmospheric ethylene near polyethylene manufacturing plants with two sensitive plant species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonneijck, A.E.G.; Berge, W.F. ten; Jansen, B.P.

2003-01-01

Atmospheric ethylene from polyethylene manufacturing plants adversely affected the number of flowers and growth of field-grown marigold and petunia. - Data of a multi-year (1977-1983) biomonitoring programme with marigold and petunia around polyethylene manufacturing plants was analysed to assess plant responses to atmospheric ethylene and to determine the area at risk for the phytotoxic effects of this pollutant. In both species, flower formation and growth were severely reduced close to the emission sources and plant performance improved with increasing distance. Plants exposed near the border of the research area had more flowers than the unexposed control while their growth was normal. Measurements of ethylene concentrations at a border site revealed that the growing season mean was 61.5 μg m -3 in 1982 and 15.6 μg m -3 in 1983. In terms of number of flowers, petunia was more sensitive than marigold and adverse effects were observed within ca. 400 m distance from the sources for marigold and within ca. 460 m for petunia. The area at risk (ca. 870 m) for ethylene-induced growth reduction was also limited to the industrial zone. Plants were more sensitive to ethylene in terms of growth reduction than in terms of inhibition of flowering. In the Netherlands, maximum permissible levels of ethylene are currently based on information from laboratory and greenhouse studies. Our results indicate that these levels are rather conservative in protecting field-grown plants against ethylene-induced injury near polyethylene manufacturing plants

Synchronous high-resolution phenotyping of leaf and root growth in Nicotiana tabacum over 24-h periods with GROWMAP-plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruts Tom

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Root growth is highly responsive to temporal changes in the environment. On the contrary, diel (24 h leaf expansion in dicot plants is governed by endogenous control and therefore its temporal pattern does not strictly follow diel changes in the environment. Nevertheless, root and shoot are connected with each other through resource partitioning and changing environments for one organ could affect growth of the other organ, and hence overall plant growth. Results We developed a new technique, GROWMAP-plant, to monitor growth processes synchronously in leaf and root of the same plant with a high resolution over the diel period. This allowed us to quantify treatment effects on the growth rates of the treated and non-treated organ and the possible interaction between them. We subjected the root system of Nicotiana tabacum seedlings to three different conditions: constant darkness at 22°C (control, constant darkness at 10°C (root cooling, and 12 h/12 h light–dark cycles at 22°C (root illumination. In all treatments the shoot was kept under the same 12 h/12 h light–dark cycles at 22°C. Root growth rates were found to be constant when the root-zone environment was kept constant, although the root cooling treatment significantly reduced root growth. Root velocity was decreased after light-on and light-off events of the root illumination treatment, resulting in diel root growth rhythmicity. Despite these changes in root growth, leaf growth was not affected substantially by the root-zone treatments, persistently showing up to three times higher nocturnal growth than diurnal growth. Conclusion GROWMAP-plant allows detailed synchronous growth phenotyping of leaf and root in the same plant. Root growth was very responsive to the root cooling and root illumination, while these treatments altered neither relative growth rate nor diel growth pattern in the seedling leaf. Our results that were obtained simultaneously in growing

Development of nuclear power plant monitoring system with neutral network using on-line PWR plant simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabeshima Kunihiko; Suzuki Katsuo; Nose, Shoichi; Kudo, Kazuhiko

1996-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a nuclear power plant monitoring system using artificial neural network (ANN). The major advantages of the monitoring system are that a multi-output process system can be modelled using measurement information without establishing any mathematical expressions. The dynamics model of reactor plant was constructed by using three layered auto-associative neural network with backpropagation learning algorithm. The basic idea of anomaly detection method is to monitor the deviation between process signals measured from actual plant and corresponding output signals from the ANN plant model. The simulator used is a self contained system designed for training. Four kinds of simulated malfunction caused by equipment failure during steady state operation were used to evaluate the capability of the neural network monitoring system. The results showed that this monitoring system detected the symptom of small anomaly earlier than the prevailing alarm system. (author). 7 refs, 7 figs, 2 tabs

Development of nuclear power plant monitoring system with neutral network using on-line PWR plant simulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunihiko, Nabeshima; Katsuo, Suzuki [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Nose, Shoichi; Kudo, Kazuhiko [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1997-12-31

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a nuclear power plant monitoring system using artificial neural network (ANN). The major advantages of the monitoring system are that a multi-output process system can be modelled using measurement information without establishing any mathematical expressions. The dynamics model of reactor plant was constructed by using three layered auto-associative neural network with backpropagation learning algorithm. The basic idea of anomaly detection method is to monitor the deviation between process signals measured from actual plant and corresponding output signals from the ANN plant model. The simulator used is a self contained system designed for training. Four kinds of simulated malfunction caused by equipment failure during steady state operation were used to evaluate the capability of the neural network monitoring system. The results showed that this monitoring system detected the symptom of small anomaly earlier than the prevailing alarm system. (author). 7 refs, 7 figs, 2 tabs.

Rhizosphere of rice plants harbor bacteria with multiple plant growth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Rhizosphere of rice plants harbor bacteria with multiple plant growth promoting features. ... 45 (39.46%) isolates were capable of producing siderophore, the range of production being 4.50 to 223.26 μg mg-1 protein. Analysis of molecular diversity was made by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and ...

Crop growth, light utilization and yield of relay intercropped cotton as affected by plant density and a plant growth regulator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mao, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhao, X.; Liu, S.; Werf, van der W.; Zhang, S.; Spiertz, J.H.J.; Li, Z.

2014-01-01

Modern cotton cultivation requires high plant densities and compact plants. Here we study planting density and growth regulator effects on plant structure and production of cotton when the cotton is grown in a relay intercrop with wheat, a cultivation system that is widespread in China. Field

How Will Global Environmental Changes Affect the Growth of Alien Plants?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jujie Jia

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Global environmental changes can create novel habitats, promoting the growth of alien plants that often exhibit broad environmental tolerance and high phenotypic plasticity. However, the mechanisms underlying these growth promotory effects are unknown at present. Here, we conducted a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis using data from 111 published studies encompassing the responses of 129 alien plants to global warming, increased precipitation, N deposition, and CO2 enrichment. We compared the differences in the responses of alien plants to the four global environmental change factors across six categories of functional traits between woody and non-woody life forms as well as C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways. Our results showed that all four global change factors promote alien plant growth. Warming had a more positive effect on C4 than C3 plants. Although the effects of the four factors on the functional traits of alien plants were variable, plant growth was mainly promoted via an increase in growth rate and size. Our data suggest that potential future global environmental changes could further facilitate alien plant growth.

GENETIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLANT GROWTH, SHOOT ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AISA

2Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA. ABSTRACT. Maize (Zea mays L.) ear vascular tissue transports nutrients that contribute to grain yield. To assess kernel heritabilities that govern ear development and plant growth, field studies were conducted to determine the combining ...

Plant monitor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scarola, K.; Jamison, D.; Manazir, R.; Rescori, R.; Harmon, D.

1991-01-01

An advanced control room complex for a nuclear power plant, including a discrete indicator and alarm system which is nuclear qualified for rapid response to changes in plant parameters and a component control system which together provide a discrete monitoring and control capability at a panel in the control room. A separate data processing system, which need not be nuclear qualified, provides integrated and overview information to the control room and to each panel, through CRTs and a large, overhead integrated process status overview board. The discrete indicator and alarm system and the data processing system receive inputs from common plant sensors and validate the sensor outputs to arrive at a representative value of the parameter for use by the operator during both normal and accident conditions, thereby avoiding the need for him to assimilate data from each sensor individually. The integrated process status board is at the apex of an information hierarchy that extends through four levels and provides access at each panel to the full display hierarchy. The control room panels are preferably of a modular construction, permitting the definition of inputs and outputs, the main machine interface, and the plant specific algorithms, to proceed in parallel with the fabrication of the panels, the installation of the equipment and the generic testing thereof. (author)

A radiation monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwai, Masaru; Nakamori, S.; Ikeda, H.; Oda, M.

1974-01-01

Safety with respect to radiation is vital factor, particularly in view of the increasing number of nuclear power plants. For this purpose, a radiation monitoring system is provided to perform constant supervision. This article describes the purpose, installation location, specifications and circuitry of a system which is divided into three units: the process monitor, area monitor and off-site monitor. (auth.)

Growth monitoring as an early detection tool: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scherdel, P.; Dunkel, L.; Dommelen, P. van; Goulet, O.; Salaün, J.F.; Brauner, R.; Heude, B.; Chalumeau, M.

2016-01-01

Growth monitoring of apparently healthy children aims at early detection of serious underlying disorders. However, existing growth-monitoring practices are mainly based on suboptimal methods, which can result in delayed diagnosis of severe diseases and inappropriate referrals. We did a systematic

Isolation, Characterization, Screening, Formulation and Evaluation of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puja Kumari

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR are bioresources which may be viewed as a novel and potential tool for providing substantial benefits to the agriculture. Soil is the dynamic living matrix and the major source of food security providing various resources of plant growth and maintaining life processes. PGPR are originally defined as root- colonizing bacteria that cause either plant growth promotion or biological control of plant diseases. Chemical fertilizers are used for killing pathogens, increase crop yield but long term use of chemical fertilizers lead to adverse effect to the soil profile and is the reason for decrease in soil productivity, on the other hand PGPR promote plant growth directly by either facilitating resource acquisition (nitrogen, phosphorus and essential minerals or modulating plant hormone levels, or indirectly by decreasing the inhibitory effects of various pathogens on plant growth and development in the forms of biocontrol agents. PGPR is the indispensable part of rhizosphere biota that when grown in association with the host plants can stimulate the growth of the host. PGPR seemed as successful rhizobacteria in getting established in soil ecosystem due to their high adaptability in a wide variety of environments, faster growth rate and biochemical versatility to metabolize a wide range of natural and xenobiotic compounds. Isolated PGPRs from selective crop rizosphere soil were used for further growth promotion and biocontrol studies in the green house and field. Different studies have been carrying out to develop some new bioformulations and evaluate their efficacy in promoting crop seedlings growth characteristics. Field trials were performed to evaluate selective crops with formulations of several plants PGPR in a production system. The present review highlights the Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria as an alternative of chemical fertilizer for sustainable, environment friendly agriculture.

Isolation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria of guava plants (Psidium guajava

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blanca Estela Gómez Luna

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Guava production for 2008 in the state of Guanajuato was 177 ha in area planted and the same number of area harvested, production in 1,130.80 Ton. In traditional farming practices have made excessive use of mineral fertilizers, which, if it is true, ensure a good production are expensive and come to cause imbalances in agroecosystems by contamination of soil, water, and food. In this work we evaluated the effect of Bacillus subtilis strains as plant growth promoter rhizobacteria in guava plants under greenhouse conditions. We used three strains were inoculated potted plant with guava. We measured the height, number of branches and leaves. Guava orchards of 2 then display of soil were taken for the isolation andcharacterization of rhizobacteria. Selective medium was used with 1 - carboxylic acid, -1 - aminocyclopropane and selecting bacteria with ACC desaminase activity. For the isolates were determined antibiotic resistance, confrontation with fungal pathogens, plant growth tests in vitro and BIOLOG metabolic profiles. We found 30 isolates with ACC activities, 7 have the effect of biological control and 5 had effect on root development in vitro. The use of growth promotingrhizobacteria are an excellent alternative for improving the production of guavas, growing very little is known of themicroflora associated with the rhizosphere and the ecological role they have in the ground.

Techniques for Primary-to-Secondary Leak Monitoring in PWR Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohn, Wook; Chi, Jun Hwa; Kang, Duck Won; Tae, Jeong Woo

2006-01-01

Historically, corrosion and mechanical damage have made steam generator tubes in PWR plants see various types of degradation from both the primary and secondary sides of the tubes. Since the tube degradation can lead to through-wall failure, the plant personnel should make efforts to prevent the failure. One of such preventive efforts is to monitor primary-to-secondary leakage (PSL) that usually precedes the tube rupture. Thus the objective of PSL monitoring is to make operators to determine when to shutdown the plant in order to minimize the likelihood of propagation of leaks to tube rupture under normal and faulted conditions This paper addresses briefly the status of techniques for PSL monitoring used in PWR plants

Plant growth and resistance promoted by Streptomyces spp. in tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Dias, Maila P; Bastos, Matheus S; Xavier, Vanessa B; Cassel, Eduardo; Astarita, Leandro V; Santarém, Eliane R

2017-09-01

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) represent an alternative to improve plant growth and yield as well as to act as agents of biocontrol. This study characterized isolates of Streptomyces spp. (Stm) as PGPR, determined the antagonism of these isolates against Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb), evaluated the ability of Stm on promoting growth and modulating the defense-related metabolism of tomato plants, and the potential of Stm isolates on reducing soft rot disease in this species. The VOC profile of Stm was also verified. Promotion of plant growth was assessed indirectly through VOC emission and by direct interaction with Stm isolates in the roots. Evaluation of soft rot disease was performed in vitro on plants treated with Stm and challenged with Pcb. Enzymes related to plant defense were then analyzed in plants treated with three selected isolates of Stm, and PM1 was chosen for further Pcb-challenging experiment. Streptomyces spp. isolates displayed characteristics of PGPR. PM3 was the isolate with efficient antagonism against Pcb by dual-culture. Most of the isolates promoted growth of root and shoot of tomato plants by VOC, and PM5 was the isolate that most promoted growth by direct interaction with Stm. Soft rot disease and mortality of plants were significantly reduced when plants were treated with StmPM1. Modulation of secondary metabolism was observed with Stm treatment, and fast response of polyphenoloxidases was detected in plants pretreated with StmPM1 and challenged with Pcb. Peroxidase was significantly activated three days after infection with Pcb in plants pretreated with StmPM1. Results suggest that Streptomyces sp. PM1 and PM5 have the potential to act as PGPR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Monitoring the effects of atmospheric ethylene near polyethylene manufacturing plants with two sensitive plant species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonneijck, A.E.G.; Berge, W.F. ten; Jansen, B.P

2003-05-01

Atmospheric ethylene from polyethylene manufacturing plants adversely affected the number of flowers and growth of field-grown marigold and petunia. - Data of a multi-year (1977-1983) biomonitoring programme with marigold and petunia around polyethylene manufacturing plants was analysed to assess plant responses to atmospheric ethylene and to determine the area at risk for the phytotoxic effects of this pollutant. In both species, flower formation and growth were severely reduced close to the emission sources and plant performance improved with increasing distance. Plants exposed near the border of the research area had more flowers than the unexposed control while their growth was normal. Measurements of ethylene concentrations at a border site revealed that the growing season mean was 61.5 {mu}g m{sup -3} in 1982 and 15.6 {mu}g m{sup -3} in 1983. In terms of number of flowers, petunia was more sensitive than marigold and adverse effects were observed within ca. 400 m distance from the sources for marigold and within ca. 460 m for petunia. The area at risk (ca. 870 m) for ethylene-induced growth reduction was also limited to the industrial zone. Plants were more sensitive to ethylene in terms of growth reduction than in terms of inhibition of flowering. In the Netherlands, maximum permissible levels of ethylene are currently based on information from laboratory and greenhouse studies. Our results indicate that these levels are rather conservative in protecting field-grown plants against ethylene-induced injury near polyethylene manufacturing plants.

Influence of plant maturity, shoot reproduction and sex on vegetative growth in the dioecious plant Urtica dioica.

Science.gov (United States)

Oñate, Marta; Munné-Bosch, Sergi

2009-10-01

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a herbaceous, dioecious perennial that is widely distributed around the world, reproduces both sexually and asexually, and is characterized by rapid growth. This work was aimed at evaluating the effects of plant maturity, shoot reproduction and sex on the growth of leaves and shoots. Growth rates of apical shoots, together with foliar levels of phytohormones (cytokinins, auxins, absicisic acid, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid) and other indicators of leaf physiology (water contents, photosynthetic pigments, alpha-tocopherol and F(v)/F(m) ratios) were measured in juvenile and mature plants, with a distinction made between reproductive and non-reproductive shoots in both males and females. Vegetative growth rates were not only evaluated in field-grown plants, but also in cuttings obtained from these plants. All measurements were performed during an active vegetative growth phase in autumn, a few months after mature plants reproduced during spring and summer. Vegetative growth rates in mature plants were drastically reduced compared with juvenile ones (48 % and 78 % for number of leaves and leaf biomass produced per day, respectively), which was associated with a loss of photosynthetic pigments (up to 24 % and 48 % for chlorophylls and carotenoids, respectively) and increases of alpha-tocopherol (up to 2.7-fold), while endogenous levels of phytohormones did not differ between mature and juvenile plants. Reductions in vegetative growth were particularly evident in reproductive shoots of mature plants, and occurred similarly in both males and females. It is concluded that (a) plant maturity reduces vegetative growth in U. dioica, (b) effects of plant maturity are evident both in reproductive and non-reproductive shoots, but particularly in the former, and (c) these changes occur similarly in both male and female plants.

Plant pathology: monitoring a pathogen-targeted host protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Jeff; Dodds, Peter

2003-05-13

A plant protein RIN4 is targeted and modified by bacterial pathogens as part of the disease process. At least two host resistance proteins monitor this pathogen interference and trigger the plant's defence responses.

Differential growth responses of Brachypodium distachyon genotypes to inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

do Amaral, Fernanda P; Pankievicz, Vânia C S; Arisi, Ana Carolina M; de Souza, Emanuel M; Pedrosa, Fabio; Stacey, Gary

2016-04-01

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can associate and enhance the growth of important crop grasses. However, in most cases, the molecular mechanisms responsible for growth promotion are not known. Such research could benefit by the adoption of a grass model species that showed a positive response to bacterial inoculation and was amenable to genetic and molecular research methods. In this work we inoculated different genotypes of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon with two, well-characterized PGPR bacteria, Azospirillum brasilense and Herbaspirillum seropedicae, and evaluated the growth response. Plants were grown in soil under no nitrogen or with low nitrogen (i.e., 0.5 mM KNO3). A variety of growth parameters (e.g., shoot height, root length, number of lateral roots, fresh and dry weight) were measured 35 days after inoculation. The data indicate that plant genotype plays a very important role in determining the plant response to PGPR inoculation. A positive growth response was observed with only four genotypes grown under no nitrogen and three genotypes tested under low nitrogen. However, in contrast, relatively good root colonization was seen with most genotypes, as measured by drop plate counting and direct, microscopic examination of roots. In particular, the endophytic bacteria H. seropedicae showed strong epiphytic and endophytic colonization of roots.

Isolation and selection of plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with sugarcane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariana Alves Rodrigues

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Microorganisms play a vital role in maintaining soil fertility and plant health. They can act as biofertilizers and increase the resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. This study aimed at isolating and characterizing plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with sugarcane, as well as assessing their ability to promote plant growth. Endophytic bacteria from leaf, stem, root and rhizosphere were isolated from the RB 867515 commercial sugarcane variety and screened for indole acetic acid (IAA production, ability to solubilize phosphate, fix nitrogen and produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN, ammonia and the enzymes pectinase, cellulase and chitinase. A total of 136 bacteria were isolated, with 83 of them presenting some plant growth mechanism: 47 % phosphate solubilizers, 26 % nitrogen fixers and 57 % producing IAA, 0.7 % HCN and chitinase, 45 % ammonia, 30 % cellulose and 8 % pectinase. The seven best isolates were tested for their ability to promote plant growth in maize. The isolates tested for plant growth promotion belong to the Enterobacteriaceae family and the Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Pantoea genera. Five isolates promoted plant growth in greenhouse experiments, showing potential as biofertilizers.

Signature Optical Cues: Emerging Technologies for Monitoring Plant Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anand K. Asundi

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Optical technologies can be developed as practical tools for monitoring plant health by providing unique spectral signatures that can be related to specific plant stresses. Signatures from thermal and fluorescence imaging have been used successfully to track pathogen invasion before visual symptoms are observed. Another approach for noninvasive plant health monitoring involves elucidating the manner with which light interacts with the plant leaf and being able to identify changes in spectral characteristics in response to specific stresses. To achieve this, an important step is to understand the biochemical and anatomical features governing leaf reflectance, transmission and absorption. Many studies have opened up possibilities that subtle changes in leaf reflectance spectra can be analyzed in a plethora of ways for discriminating nutrient and water stress, but with limited success. There has also been interest in developing transgenic phytosensors to elucidate plant status in relation to environmental conditions. This approach involves unambiguous signal creation whereby genetic modification to generate reporter plants has resulted in distinct optical signals emitted in response to specific stressors. Most of these studies are limited to laboratory or controlled greenhouse environments at leaf level. The practical translation of spectral cues for application under field conditions at canopy and regional levels by remote aerial sensing remains a challenge. The movement towards technology development is well exemplified by the Controlled Ecological Life Support System under development by NASA which brings together technologies for monitoring plant status concomitantly with instrumentation for environmental monitoring and feedback control.

The influence of growth retardants and cytokinins on flowering of ornamental plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Pobudkiewicz

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Growth retardants are applied in order to obtain short and well compact plants. They usually inhibit stem elongation, but also can influence the flowering of plants. The aim of cytokinin application is to obtain well branched plants without removing the apical meristem. Cytokinins usually increase the number of axillary shoots but also can influence flowering. Growth retardants and cytokinins can affect flower size, pedicel length, number of flowers, flower longevity, abortion of flower buds and number of days from potting plants to the first open flower. Flowering of growth retardant and cytokinin treated plants might depend on the method of growth regulator used (foliar spray or soil drench, plant species or even a plant cultivar, but in the highest degree it depends on the growth regulator rate used. These growth regulators, when are applied at rates appropriate for height and habit control, very seldom influence flowering of ornamental plants, but applied at high rates can delay flowering, diminish flower diameter or flower pedicel length and also can decrease the number of flowers per plant. In cultivation of bulb plants, growth retardants, used at very high rates, also cause abortion of flower buds.

Multifarious plant growth promotion by an entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium psalliotae.

Science.gov (United States)

Senthil Kumar, C M; Jacob, T K; Devasahayam, S; Thomas, Stephy; Geethu, C

2018-03-01

An entomopathogenic fungus, Lecanicillium psalliotae strain IISR-EPF-02 previously found infectious to cardamom thrips, Sciothrips cardamomi promoted plant growth in cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum. The isolate exhibited direct plant growth promoting traits by production of indole-3-acetic acid and ammonia and by solubilizing inorganic phosphate and zinc. It also showed indirect plant growth promoting traits by producing siderophores and cell wall-degrading enzymes like, α-amylases, cellulases and proteases. In pot culture experiments, application of the fungus at the root zone of cardamom seedlings significantly increased shoot and root length, shoot and root biomass, number of secondary roots and leaves and leaf chlorophyll content compared to untreated plants. This is the first report on the plant growth promoting traits of this fungus. The entomopathogenic and multifarious growth promoting traits of L. psalliotae strain IISR-EPF-02 suggest that it has great potential for exploitation in sustainable agriculture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Development of distributed plant monitoring and diagnosis system at Monju

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okusa, Kyoichi; Tamayama, Kiyoshi; Kitamura, Tomomi

2003-01-01

In a nuclear plant, it is required to detect an anomaly as early as possible and to inhibit adverse consequences. This requirement is especially important for a prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Monju. Therefore, a monitoring and diagnosis system is required to be developed for Monju plant equipments. In these days, such a monitoring and diagnosis system can be realized using Web technology with rationalized system resources due to the remarkable progress of computer network technology. Then, we developed a Web based platform for the monitoring and diagnosis system of Monju. Distributed architecture, standardization and highly flexible system structure have been taken account of in the development. This newly developed platform and prototype monitoring and diagnosis systems have been validated. Prototype monitoring and diagnosis systems on the platform acquire Monju plant data and display the data on client computers using Monju intranet with acceptable delay times. The prototype monitoring and diagnosis systems for Monju have been developed on the platform and the whole system has been validated. (author)

Revegetation in abandoned quarries with landfill stabilized waste and gravels: water dynamics and plant growth - a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Cheng-liang; Feng, Jing-jing; Rong, Li-ming; Zhao, Ting-ning

2017-11-01

Large amounts of quarry wastes are produced during quarrying. Though quarry wastes are commonly used in pavement construction and concrete production, in situ utilization during ecological restoration of abandoned quarries has the advantage of simplicity. In this paper, rock fragments 2-3 cm in size were mixed with landfill stabilized waste (LSW) in different proportions (LSW : gravel, RL), which was called LGM. The water content, runoff and plant growth under natural precipitation were monitored for 2 years using a runoff plot experiment. LGM with a low fraction of LSW was compacted to different degrees to achieve an appropriate porosity; water dynamics and plant growth of compacted LGM were studied in a field experiment. The results showed the following: (1) LGM can be used during restoration in abandoned quarries as growing material for plants. (2) RL had a significant effect on the infiltration and water-holding capacity of LGM and thus influenced the retention of precipitation, water condition and plant growth. LGM with RL ranging from 8:1 to 3:7 was suitable for plant growth, and the target species grew best when RL was 5:5. (3) Compaction significantly enhanced water content of LGM with a low RL of 2:8, but leaf water content of plants was lower or unchanged in the more compacted plots. Moderate compaction was beneficial to the survival and growth of Robinia pseudoacacia L. Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco and Medicago sativa L. were not significantly affected by compaction, and they grew better under a high degree of compaction, which was disadvantageous for the uppermost layer of vegetation.

Diagnosis of faults in EDF power plants: From monitoring to diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joussellin, A.; Chevalier, R.

1994-01-01

Electricite de France is constantly in search of means to improve safety and availability in its nuclear power plants. To this end, EDF has designed new monitoring systems for the major components of its units: for turbogenerator and inlet valves monitoring, for reactor coolant pumps monitoring, for internal structures monitoring and for loose parts detection. New techniques for signal acquisition and processing for diagnosis are used and all these monitoring systems are designed with the same general concept on monitoring. Simultaneously, a workstation for monitoring and aid in diagnosis (PSAD) is under development. It will integrate every monitoring system and will constitute an indispensable tool for plant personnel, enabling them to diagnose the condition of plant equipment, and providing them with high efficiency and user-friendly tools. The PSAD will have a flexible architecture, guaranteeing optimum distribution of computing power to make it available where it is needed

Productivity growth patterns in US dairy products manufacturing plants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geylani, P.C.; Stefanou, S.E.

2011-01-01

We analyse the productivity growth patterns in the US dairy products industry using the Census Bureau's plant-level data set. We decompose Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth into the scale and technical change components and analyse variability of plants' productivity by constructing transition

Plant Growth Absorption Spectrum Mimicking Light Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jwo-Huei Jou

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Plant factories have attracted increasing attention because they can produce fresh fruits and vegetables free from pesticides in all weather. However, the emission spectra from current light sources significantly mismatch the spectra absorbed by plants. We demonstrate a concept of using multiple broad-band as well as narrow-band solid-state lighting technologies to design plant-growth light sources. Take an organic light-emitting diode (OLED, for example; the resulting light source shows an 84% resemblance with the photosynthetic action spectrum as a twin-peak blue dye and a diffused mono-peak red dye are employed. This OLED can also show a greater than 90% resemblance as an additional deeper red emitter is added. For a typical LED, the resemblance can be improved to 91% if two additional blue and red LEDs are incorporated. The approach may facilitate either an ideal use of the energy applied for plant growth and/or the design of better light sources for growing different plants.

A systematic review of the routine monitoring of growth in children of primary school age to identify growth-related conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fayter, D; Nixon, J; Hartley, S; Rithalia, A; Butler, G; Rudolf, M; Glasziou, P; Bland, M; Stirk, L; Westwood, M

2007-06-01

To clarify the role of growth monitoring in primary school children, including obesity, and to examine issues that might impact on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of such programmes. Electronic databases were searched up to July 2005. Experts in the field were also consulted. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed on studies meeting the review's inclusion criteria. The performance of growth monitoring to detect disorders of stature and obesity was evaluated against National Screening Committee (NSC) criteria. In the 31 studies that were included in the review, there were no controlled trials of the impact of growth monitoring and no studies of the diagnostic accuracy of different methods for growth monitoring. Analysis of the studies that presented a 'diagnostic yield' of growth monitoring suggested that one-off screening might identify between 1:545 and 1:1793 new cases of potentially treatable conditions. Economic modelling suggested that growth monitoring is associated with health improvements [incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of 9500 pounds] and indicated that monitoring was cost-effective 100% of the time over the given probability distributions for a willingness to pay threshold of 30,000 pounds per QALY. Studies of obesity focused on the performance of body mass index against measures of body fat. A number of issues relating to human resources required for growth monitoring were identified, but data on attitudes to growth monitoring were extremely sparse. Preliminary findings from economic modelling suggested that primary prevention may be the most cost-effective approach to obesity management, but the model incorporated a great deal of uncertainty. This review has indicated the potential utility and cost-effectiveness of growth monitoring in terms of increased detection of stature-related disorders. It has also pointed strongly to the need for further research. Growth monitoring does not currently meet all NSC

Standard guide for in-plant performance evaluation of automatic pedestrian SNM monitors

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1997-01-01

1.1 This guide is affiliated with Guide C1112 on special nuclear material (SNM) monitors, Guide C1169 on laboratory performance evaluation, and Guide C1189 on calibrating pedestrian SNM monitors. This guide to in-plant performance evaluation is a comparatively rapid way to verify whether a pedestrian SNM monitor performs as expected for detecting SNM or SNM-like test sources. 1.1.1 In-plant performance evaluation should not be confused with the simple daily functional test recommended in Guide C1112. In-plant performance evaluation takes place less often than daily tests, usually at intervals ranging from weekly to once every three months. In-plant evaluations are also more extensive than daily tests and may examine both a monitor's nuisance alarm record and its detection sensitivity for a particular SNM or alternative test source. 1.1.2 In-plant performance evaluation also should not be confused with laboratory performance evaluation. In-plant evaluation is comparatively rapid, takes place in the monitor...

Environmental monitoring report for Pantex Plant covering 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laseter, W.A.

1985-01-01

This report summarizes the environmental monitoring program at Pantex Plant for 1984. It has been prepared in accordance with the United States Department of Energy Order 5484.1. This report presents monitoring data for both radioactive and non-radioactive species in the local environment. Plant activities involve the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium, and tritium. However, only a small release of tritium occurred which could have affected the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of this nuclide in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore should not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public. 22 refs., 7 figs., 23 tabs

Environmental monitoring report for Pantex Plant covering 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, R.E.; Cornelius, V.A.

1979-05-01

This report summarizes the environmental monitoring program at Pantex Plant for 1978. It has been prepared in accordance with the United States Department of Energy Manual Chapter 0513. This report presents monitoring data for both radioactive and non-radioactive species in the local environment. Although plant activities involve the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium, and tritium, only small releases of uranium (depleted in the isotope 235 U) and tritium occurred which could have affected the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of these nuclides in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore should not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public

Plants status monitor: Modelling techniques and inherent benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breeding, R.J.; Lainoff, S.M.; Rees, D.C.; Prather, W.A.; Fickiessen, K.O.E.

1987-01-01

The Plant Status Monitor (PSM) is designed to provide plant personnel with information on the operational status of the plant and compliance with the plant technical specifications. The PSM software evaluates system models using a 'distributed processing' technique in which detailed models of individual systems are processed rather than by evaluating a single, plant-level model. In addition, development of the system models for PSM provides inherent benefits to the plant by forcing detailed reviews of the technical specifications, system design and operating procedures, and plant documentation. (orig.)

Monitoring crack growth using thermography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djedjiga, Ait Aouita; Abdeldjalil, Ouahabi

2008-01-01

The purpose of this work is to present a novel strategy for real-time monitoring crack growth of materials. The process is based on the use of thermal data extracted along the horizontal axis of symmetry of single edge notch tension (SENT) specimens, during fatigue tests. These data are exploited using an implemented program to detect in situ the growth of fatigue crack, with the critical size and propagation speed of the crack. This technique has the advantage to be applicable to a wide range of materials regardless of their electrical conductivity and their surface texture. (authors)

Data acquisition and monitoring of radwaste cementation plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cable, A.S.; Lee, D.J.; Samways, J.; Weller, F.C.; Williams, J.R.A.

1988-03-01

This paper summarises the progress made in the two years to June 1987 on the DOE funded programme for Data acquisition and monitoring of Radwaste Cementation Plants. The results of the computer based data logging and processing system fitted to an in-drum mixing station, cement powder plant and sludge handling plant are reported. (author)

Fusarium oxysporum volatiles enhance plant growth via affecting auxin transport and signaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasileios eBitas

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Volatile organic compounds (VOCs have well-documented roles in plant-plant communication and directing animal behavior. In this study, we examine the less understood roles of VOCs in plant-fungal relationships. Phylogenetically and ecologically diverse strains of Fusarium oxysporum, a fungal species complex that often resides in the rhizosphere of assorted plants, produce volatile compounds that augment shoot and root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco. Growth responses of A. thaliana hormone signaling mutants and expression patterns of a GUS reporter gene under the auxin-responsive DR5 promoter supported the involvement of auxin signaling in F. oxysporum volatile-mediated growth enhancement. In addition, 1-naphthylthalamic acid, an inhibitor of auxin efflux, negated F. oxysporum volatile-mediated growth enhancement in both plants. Comparison of the profiles of volatile compounds produced by F. oxysporum strains that differentially affected plant growth suggests that the relative compositions of both growth inhibitory and stimulatory compounds may determine the degree of plant growth enhancement. Volatile-mediated signaling between fungi and plants may represent a potentially conserved, yet mostly overlooked, mechanism underpinning plant-fungus interactions and fungal niche adaption.

Auxin-BR Interaction Regulates Plant Growth and Development

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Huiyu; Lv, Bingsheng; Ding, Tingting; Bai, Mingyi; Ding, Zhaojun

2018-01-01

Plants develop a high flexibility to alter growth, development, and metabolism to adapt to the ever-changing environments. Multiple signaling pathways are involved in these processes and the molecular pathways to transduce various developmental signals are not linear but are interconnected by a complex network and even feedback mutually to achieve the final outcome. This review will focus on two important plant hormones, auxin and brassinosteroid (BR), based on the most recent progresses about these two hormone regulated plant growth and development in Arabidopsis, and highlight the cross-talks between these two phytohormones. PMID:29403511

Effects of microgravity on growth hormone concentration and distribution in plants

Science.gov (United States)

Schulze, Aga; Jensen, Philip; Desrosiers, Mark; Bandurski, Robert S.

1989-01-01

On earth, gravity affects the distribution of the plant growth hormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), in a manner such that the plant grows into a normal vertical orientation (shoots up, roots down). How the plant controls the amount and distribution of IAA is only partially understood and is currently under investigation in this laboratory. The question to be answered in the flight experiment concerns the effect of gravity on the concentration, turn over, and distribution of the growth hormone. The answer to this question will aid in understanding the mechanism by which plants control the amount and distribution of growth hormone. Such knowledge of a plant's hormonal metabolism may aid in the growth of plants in space and will lead to agronomic advances.

Improved core monitoring for improved plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, N.P.

1987-01-01

Westinghouse has recently installed a core on-line surveillance, monitoring and operations systems (COSMOS), which uses only currently available core and plant data to accurately reconstruct the core average axial and radial power distributions. This information is provided to the operator in an immediately usable, human-engineered format and is accumulated for use in application programs that provide improved core performance predictive tools and a data base for improved fuel management. Dynamic on-line real-time axial and radial core monitoring supports a variety of plant operations to provide a favorable cost/benefit ratio for such a system. Benefits include: (1) relaxation or elimination of certain technical specifications to reduce surveillance and reporting requirements and allow higher availability factors, (2) improved information displays, predictive tools, and control strategies to support more efficient core control and reduce effluent production, and (3) expanded burnup data base for improved fuel management. Such systems can be backfit into operating plants without changing the existing instrumentation and control system and can frequently be implemented on existing plant computer capacity

Integrated online condition monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashemian, Hashem M.

2010-01-01

Online condition monitoring or online monitoring (OLM) uses data acquired while a nuclear power is operating to continuously assess the health of the plant's sensors, processes, and equipment; to measure the dynamic performance of the plant's process instrumentation; to verify in-situ the calibration of the process instrumentation; to detect blockages, voids, and leaks in the pressure sensing lines; to identify core flow anomalies; to extend the life of neutron detectors and other sensors; and to measure the vibration of reactor internals. Both the steady-state or DC output of plant sensors and their AC signal or noise output can be used to assess sensor health, depending on whether the application is monitoring a rapidly changing (e.g., core barrel motion) or a slowly changing (e.g., sensor calibration) process. The author has designed, developed, installed, and tested OLM systems (comprised of software/hardware-based data acquisition and data processing modules) that integrate low-frequency (1 mHz to 1 Hz) techniques such as RTD cross-calibration, pressure transmitter calibration monitoring, and equipment condition monitoring and high-frequency (1 Hz to 1 kHz) techniques such as the noise analysis technique. The author has demonstrated the noise analysis technique's effectiveness for measuring the dynamic response-time of pressure transmitters and their sensing lines; for performing predictive maintenance on reactor internals; for detecting core flow anomalies; and for extending neutron detector life. Integrated online condition monitoring systems can combine AC and DC data acquisition and signal processing techniques, can use data from existing process sensors during all modes of plant operation, including startup, normal operation, and shutdown; can be retrofitted into existing PWRs, BWRs, and other reactor types and will be integrated into next-generation plants. (orig.)

Integrated online condition monitoring system for nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashemian, Hashem M. [Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation, Knoxville, TN (United States). AMS Technology Center

2010-09-15

Online condition monitoring or online monitoring (OLM) uses data acquired while a nuclear power is operating to continuously assess the health of the plant's sensors, processes, and equipment; to measure the dynamic performance of the plant's process instrumentation; to verify in-situ the calibration of the process instrumentation; to detect blockages, voids, and leaks in the pressure sensing lines; to identify core flow anomalies; to extend the life of neutron detectors and other sensors; and to measure the vibration of reactor internals. Both the steady-state or DC output of plant sensors and their AC signal or noise output can be used to assess sensor health, depending on whether the application is monitoring a rapidly changing (e.g., core barrel motion) or a slowly changing (e.g., sensor calibration) process. The author has designed, developed, installed, and tested OLM systems (comprised of software/hardware-based data acquisition and data processing modules) that integrate low-frequency (1 mHz to 1 Hz) techniques such as RTD cross-calibration, pressure transmitter calibration monitoring, and equipment condition monitoring and high-frequency (1 Hz to 1 kHz) techniques such as the noise analysis technique. The author has demonstrated the noise analysis technique's effectiveness for measuring the dynamic response-time of pressure transmitters and their sensing lines; for performing predictive maintenance on reactor internals; for detecting core flow anomalies; and for extending neutron detector life. Integrated online condition monitoring systems can combine AC and DC data acquisition and signal processing techniques, can use data from existing process sensors during all modes of plant operation, including startup, normal operation, and shutdown; can be retrofitted into existing PWRs, BWRs, and other reactor types and will be integrated into next-generation plants. (orig.)

Ultraviolet-Absorption Spectroscopic Biofilm Monitor

Science.gov (United States)

Micheels, Ronald H.

2004-01-01

An ultraviolet-absorption spectrometer system has been developed as a prototype instrument to be used in continuous, real-time monitoring to detect the growth of biofilms. Such monitoring is desirable because biofilms are often harmful. For example, biofilms in potable-water and hydroponic systems act as both sources of pathogenic bacteria that resist biocides and as a mechanism for deterioration (including corrosion) of pipes. Biofilms formed from several types of hazardous bacteria can thrive in both plant-growth solutions and low-nutrient media like distilled water. Biofilms can also form in condensate tanks in air-conditioning systems and in industrial heat exchangers. At present, bacteria in potable-water and plant-growth systems aboard the space shuttle (and previously on the Mir space station) are monitored by culture-plate counting, which entails an incubation period of 24 to 48 hours for each sample. At present, there are no commercially available instruments for continuous monitoring of biofilms in terrestrial or spaceborne settings.

Diagnosis of faults in EDF power plants: from monitoring to diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joussellin, A.

1994-06-01

Electricite de France is constantly is search of means to improve safety and availability in its nuclear power plants. To this end, EDF has designed new monitoring systems for the major components of its units: for turbogenerator and inlet valves monitoring, for reactor coolant pumps monitoring, for internal structures monitoring and for loose parts detection. New techniques for signal acquisition and processing for diagnosis are used and all these monitoring systems are designed with the same general concept on monitoring. Simultaneously, a workstation for monitoring and aid in diagnosis (PSAD) is under development. It will integrate every monitoring system and will constitute an indispensable tool for plant personnel, enabling them to diagnose the condition of plant equipment, and providing them with high efficiency and user-friendly tools. The PSAD will have a flexible architecture, guaranteeing optimum distribution of computing power to make it available where it is needed. (author). 5 figs., 4 refs

Building and application of the plant condition monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, S.

2013-01-01

To achieve the stable operation of nuclear power plants, we developed the plant condition monitoring system based on the heat and mass balance calculation. This system has adopted the heat balance model based on the actual plant data to find the symptoms of the disorder of the equipment by heat balance changes in the turbine system. (author)

Adaptive Multichannel Radiation Sensors for Plant Parameter Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Mollenhauer, Hannes; Remmler, Paul; Schuhmann, Gudrun; Lausch, Angela; Merbach, Ines; Assing, Martin; Mollenhauer, Olaf; Dietrich, Peter; Bumberger, Jan

2016-04-01

Nutrients such as nitrogen are playing a key role in the plant life cycle. They are much needed for chlorophyll production and other plant cell components. Therefore, the crop yield is strongly affected by plant nutrient status. Due to the spatial and temporal variability of soil characteristics or swaying agricultural inputs the plant development varies within a field. Thus, the determination of these fluctuations in the plant development is valuable for a detection of stress conditions and optimization of fertilisation due to its high environmental and economic impact. Plant parameters play crucial roles in plant growth estimation and prediction since they are used as indicators of plant performance. Especially indices derived out of remote sensing techniques provide quantitative information about agricultural crops instantaneously, and above all, non-destructively. Due to the specific absorption of certain plant pigments, a characteristic spectral signature can be seen in the visible and IR part of the electromagnetic spectrum, known as narrow-band peaks. In an analogous manner, the presence and concentration of different nutrients cause a characteristic spectral signature. To this end, an adequate remote sensing monitoring concept is needed, considering heterogeneity and dynamic of the plant population and economical aspects. This work will present the development and field investigations of an inexpensive multichannel radiation sensor to observe the incoming and reflected specific parts or rather distinct wavelengths of the solar light spectrum on the crop and facilitate the determination of different plant indices. Based on the selected sensor wavelengths, the sensing device allows the detection of specific parameters, e.g. plant vitality, chlorophyll content or nitrogen content. Besides the improvement of the sensor characteristic, the simple wavelength adaption, and the price-performance ratio, the achievement of appropriate energy efficiency as well as a

Role of medicinal plants on growth performance and immune status in fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Awad, Elham; Awaad, Amani

2017-08-01

Disease outbreaks increase proportionally with increases in intensive aquaculture. Natural products including medicinal plants have been known from thousands of years for treating some human diseases. It is well known that many active compounds are responsible for potential bio-activities. For that reason, there has been considerable interest in the use of medicinal plants in aquaculture with a view to providing safe and eco-friendly compounds for replacing antibiotics and chemical compounds as well as to enhance immune status and control fish diseases. This article describes a wide range of medicinal plants such as herbs, seeds, and spices with different forms such as crude, extracts, mixed and active compounds, used as immunostimulants and resulting in a marked enhancement in the immune system of fish to prevent and control microbial diseases. Moreover, different activity was recorded from plant parts like seeds, roots, flowers and leaves. The mode of action of medicinal plants was stimulation of the cellular and humoral immune response which was monitored through elevation in immune parameters. Various levels of immune stimulation have been shown by medicinal plants at different concentrations through injection or immersion or oral administration. However, it is critically important to determine the optimal dose to enhance the immune system of fish and avoid the risk of immunosuppression. Some medicinal plants have been used to replace the protein in fishmeal as a cheap source of protein and proved to be efficient in this respect. Medicinal plants can act as a growth promoter and immunomodulator at the same time. Further investigations should be carried out to examine the influence of those plants on fish health (including physiological and histological parameters) as a preliminary step for use in large scale in aquaculture. The current review describes the role of medicinal plants and their derivatives on innate and adaptive immune status as well as growth

''PSAD'' on-line monitoring and aid to diagnosis workstation: a monitoring tool for EDF power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, J.; Mazalerat, J.M.; Monnier, B.; Cordier, R.

1993-01-01

Like other electricity utilities, Electricite de France seeks to enhance the safety and availability of its nuclear power plants. To this end, for over ten years EDF has been installing on each plant unit two monitoring systems of its own design, one to monitor the primary cooling system, and the other, the turbogenerator set. Since the beginning of this project, widespread progress has been made in techniques of signal acquisition and processing, and in diagnosis using artificial intelligence methods. EDF has decided to call on these advanced techniques in developing its new-generation monitoring equipment, and to integrate them in its development of a workstation for on-line monitoring and diagnosis-support (PSAD: Poste de Surveillance et d'Aide au Diagnostic). PSAD will be a tool for on-line monitoring of the main components in nuclear power plants (initially the main coolant pumps and turbogenerator sets, and soon thereafter, monitoring of internal structures, detection of loose parts in the primary cooling system, etc.). PSAD will provide plant personnel with indispensable support in their diagnosis of the condition of plant equipment. It will integrate user-friendly, high-performance systems that also free the operator from many day-to-day tasks. PSAD will have a flexible architecture, for optimum distribution of the computing power where it is most needed, thereby improving the quality of the data. This paper presents the project objectives and describes work currently under way to implement EDF's diagnosis-support strategy for the years to come. (authors). 5 figs., 6 refs

Study on growth-promotion of paddy plants treated with oligo chitosan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norhashidah Talip; Maznah Mahmud; Norzita Yacob; Kamaruddin Hashim; Khairul Zaman Mohd Dahlan

2010-01-01

Chitosan has been degraded to produced oligo chitosan with different molecular weight using gamma ray irradiation from a Co-60 source in solid state (powder form) and liquid state (aqueous solution). Study on growth promotion of paddy plants was done using oligo chitosan and conventional plant growth promoter as a comparison. Oligo chitosan was used with different molecular weight and different concentrations. Smaller molecular weight of oligo chitosan with smaller concentration showed better result than bigger molecular weight of oligo chitosan as a plant growth promoter. This study also showed that conventional growth promoter can be replaced with oligo chitosan as it is more effective as plant growth promoter as well as more environmental friendly. (author)

Phytohormone profiles induced by trichoderma isolates correspond with their biocontrol and plant growth-promoting activity on melon plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Medina, Ainhoa; Del Mar Alguacil, Maria; Pascual, Jose A; Van Wees, Saskia C M

2014-07-01

The application of Trichoderma strains with biocontrol and plant growth-promoting capacities to plant substrates can help reduce the input of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture. Some Trichoderma isolates can directly affect plant pathogens, but they also are known to influence the phytohormonal network of their host plant, thus leading to an improvement of plant growth and stress tolerance. In this study, we tested whether alterations in the phytohormone signature induced by different Trichoderma isolates correspond with their ability for biocontrol and growth promotion. Four Trichoderma isolates were collected from agricultural soils and were identified as the species Trichoderma harzianum (two isolates), Trichoderma ghanense, and Trichoderma hamatum. Their antagonistic activity against the plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis was tested in vitro, and their plant growth-promoting and biocontrol activity against Fusarium wilt on melon plants was examined in vivo, and compared to that of the commercial strain T. harzianum T-22. Several growth- and defense-related phytohormones were analyzed in the shoots of plants that were root-colonized by the different Trichoderma isolates. An increase in auxin and a decrease in cytokinins and abscisic acid content were induced by the isolates that promoted the plant growth. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the relationship between the plant phenotypic and hormonal variables. PCA pointed to a strong association of auxin induction with plant growth stimulation by Trichoderma. Furthermore, the disease-protectant ability of the Trichoderma strains against F. oxysporum infection seems to be more related to their induced alterations in the content of the hormones abscisic acid, ethylene, and the cytokinin trans-zeatin riboside than to the in vitro antagonism activity against F. oxysporum.

Process control and monitoring system: Thermal Power Plant Gacko

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeremovic, Dragan; Skoko, Maksim; Gjokanovic, Zdravko

2004-01-01

DCS Ovation system, manufactured by Westinghouse, USA, is described in this paper. Emphasize on concept of realization and basic characteristic in Thermal Power Plant Gacko is given in this paper. The most important, noticed by now, comparative effects and performances of new monitoring and control system according to classical monitoring and control system of 300 MW units Thermal Power Plant Gacko in Gacko, are given in the conclusion. (Author)

Centralized operation and monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudo, Mitsuru; Sato, Hideyuki; Murata, Fumio

1988-01-01

According to the prospect of long term energy demand, in 2000, the nuclear power generation facilities in Japan are expected to take 15.9% of the total energy demand. From this fact, it is an important subject to supply nuclear power more stably, and in the field of instrumentation and control, many researches and developments and the incessant effort of improvement have been continued. In the central operation and monitoring system which is the center of the stable operation of nuclear power plants, the man-machine technology aiding operators by electronic and computer application technologies has been positively developed and applied. It is considered that hereafter, for the purpose of rationally heightening the operation reliability of the plants, the high quality man-machine system freely using the most advanced technologies such as high reliability digital technology, optical information transmission, knowledge engineering and so on is developed and applied. The technical trend of operation and monitoring system, the concept of heightening operation and monitoring capability, the upgrading of operation and monitoring system, and the latest operation, monitoring and control systems for nuclear power plants and waste treatment facilities are described. (K.I.)

77 FR 30030 - Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-21

... Nuclear Power Plants AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance. SUMMARY... (RG) 1.160, ``Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants.'' This guide... Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants,'' which provides methods that are...

Environmental monitoring report for Pantex Plant covering 1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, R.E.

1975-01-01

During 1974 Pantex Plant conducted a monitoring program to determine the concentration of specific radioactive and non-radioactive species in the local environment. Although the plant activities involved the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium, and tritium, only small releases of uranium (depleted in the isotope 235 U) and tritium have occurred which could affect the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of these nuclides in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore do not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public. (U.S.)

GABA signalling modulates plant growth by directly regulating the activity of plant-specific anion transporters.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramesh, Sunita A; Tyerman, Stephen D; Xu, Bo; Bose, Jayakumar; Kaur, Satwinder; Conn, Vanessa; Domingos, Patricia; Ullah, Sana; Wege, Stefanie; Shabala, Sergey; Feijó, José A; Ryan, Peter R; Gilliham, Matthew; Gillham, Matthew

2015-07-29

The non-protein amino acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) rapidly accumulates in plant tissues in response to biotic and abiotic stress, and regulates plant growth. Until now it was not known whether GABA exerts its effects in plants through the regulation of carbon metabolism or via an unidentified signalling pathway. Here, we demonstrate that anion flux through plant aluminium-activated malate transporter (ALMT) proteins is activated by anions and negatively regulated by GABA. Site-directed mutagenesis of selected amino acids within ALMT proteins abolishes GABA efficacy but does not alter other transport properties. GABA modulation of ALMT activity results in altered root growth and altered root tolerance to alkaline pH, acid pH and aluminium ions. We propose that GABA exerts its multiple physiological effects in plants via ALMT, including the regulation of pollen tube and root growth, and that GABA can finally be considered a legitimate signalling molecule in both the plant and animal kingdoms.

Automatic acoustic and vibration monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tothmatyas, Istvan; Illenyi, Andras; Kiss, Jozsef; Komaromi, Tibor; Nagy, Istvan; Olchvary, Geza

1990-01-01

A diagnostic system for nuclear power plant monitoring is described. Acoustic and vibration diagnostics can be applied to monitor various reactor components and auxiliary equipment including primary circuit machinery, leak detection, integrity of reactor vessel, loose parts monitoring. A noise diagnostic system has been developed for the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, to supervise the vibration state of primary circuit machinery. An automatic data acquisition and processing system is described for digitalizing and analysing diagnostic signals. (R.P.) 3 figs

Development and application of the plant condition monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, S.

2014-01-01

To achieve the stable operation of nuclear power plants, we developed the plant condition monitoring system based on the heat and mass balance calculation. In this system, it is a significant feature to adopt the sophisticated heat balance model based on the actual plant data to find the symptoms of anomalies in the turbine system from heat balance changes. (author)

Biotechnological application and taxonomical distribution of plant growth promoting actinobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamedi, Javad; Mohammadipanah, Fatemeh

2015-02-01

Plant growth promoting (PGP) bacteria are involved in various interactions known to affect plant fitness and soil quality, thereby increasing the productivity of agriculture and stability of soil. Although the potential of actinobacteria in antibiotic production is well-investigated, their capacity to enhance plant growth is not fully surveyed. Due to the following justifications, PGP actinobacteria (PGPA) can be considered as a more promising taxonomical group of PGP bacteria: (1) high numbers of actinobacteria per gram of soil and their filamentous nature, (2) genome dedicated to the secondary metabolite production (~5 to 10 %) is distinctively more than that of other bacteria and (3) number of plant growth promoter genera reported from actinobacteria is 1.3 times higher than that of other bacteria. Mechanisms by which PGPA contribute to the plant growth by association are: (a) enhancing nutrients availability, (b) regulation of plant metabolism, (c) decreasing environmental stress, (d) control of phytopathogens and (e) improvement of soil texture. Taxonomical and chemical diversity of PGPA and their biotechnological application along with their associated challenges are summarized in this paper.

Population densities of indigenous Acidobacteria change in the presence of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in rhizosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalam, Sadaf; Das, Subha Narayan; Basu, Anirban; Podile, Appa Rao

2017-05-01

Rhizosphere microbial community has diverse metabolic capabilities and plays a crucial role in maintaining plant health. Oligotrophic plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), along with difficult-to-culture microbial fractions, might be involved synergistically in microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere. Among the difficult-to-culture microbial fractions, Acidobacteria constitutes the most dominant phylum thriving in rhizospheric soils. We selected effective PGPR for tomato and black gram and studied their effect on population densities of acidobacterial members. Three facultatively oligotrophic PGPR were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Sphingobacterium sp. (P3), Variovorax sp. (P4), and Roseomonas sp. (A2); the latter being a new report of PGPR. In presence of selected PGPR strains, the changes in population densities of Acidobacteria were monitored in metagenomic DNA extracted from bulk and rhizospheric soils of tomato and black gram using real time qPCR. A gradual increase in equivalent cell numbers of Acidobacteria members was observed over time along with a simultaneous increase in plant growth promotion by test PGPR. We report characterization of three effective PGPR strains and their effects on indigenous, underexplored difficult-to-culture phylum-Acidobacteria. We suggest that putative interactions between these two bacterial groups thriving in rhizospheric soils could be beneficial for plant growth. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Environmental monitoring at the Savannah River Plant. Annual report, 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashley, C.; Padezanin, P.C.; Zeigler, C.C.

1984-06-01

This annual report presents data for 1983 radioactivity and radioisotope concentrations in the air, water, plants, and animals of the Savannah River Plant. Additional monitoring was performed for chemical contaminants such as mercury and chlorocarbons. All concentrations were within applicable federal and state limits or not detectable with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment

Peat soil composition as indicator of plants growth environment

Science.gov (United States)

Noormets, M.; Tonutare, T.; Kauer, K.; Szajdak, L.; Kolli, R.

2009-04-01

Exhausted milled peat areas have been left behind as a result of decades-lasting intensive peat production in Estonia and Europe. According to different data there in Estonia is 10 000 - 15 000 ha of exhausted milled peat areas that should be vegetated. Restoration using Sphagnum species is most advantageous, as it creates ecological conditions closest to the natural succession towards a natural bog area. It is also thought that the large scale translocation of vegetation from intact bogs, as used in some Canadian restoration trials, is not applicable in most of European sites due to limited availability of suitable donor areas. Another possibility to reduce the CO2 emission in these areas is their use for cultivation of species that requires minimum agrotechnical measures exploitation. It is found by experiments that it is possible to establish on Vaccinium species for revegetation of exhausted milled peat areas. Several physiological activity of the plant is regulated by the number of phytohormones. These substances in low quantities move within the plant from a site of production to a site of action. Phytohormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is formed in soils from tryptophane by enzymatic conversion. This compound seems to play an important function in nature as result to its influence in regulation of plant growth and development. A principal feature of IAA is its ability to affect growth, development and health of plants. This compound activates root morphology and metabolic changes in the host plant. The physiological impact of this substance is involved in cell elongation, apical dominance, root initiation, parthenocarpy, abscission, callus formation and the respiration. The investigation areas are located in the county of Tartu (58˚ 22' N, 26˚ 43' E), in the southern part of Estonia. The soil of the experimental fields belongs according to the WRB soil classification, to the soils subgroups of Fibri-Dystric Histosols. The investigation areas were

Increasing plant growth by modulating omega-amidase expression in plants

Science.gov (United States)

Unkefer, Pat J.; Anderson, Penelope S.; Knight, Thomas J.

2015-06-30

The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods for increasing the leaf-to-root ratio of the signal metabolite 2-oxoglutaramate and related proline molecules in plants by modulating levels of .omega.-amidase to increase nitrogen use efficiency, resulting in enhanced growth, faster growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields.

Environmental monitoring at the Savannah River Plant. Annual report, 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashley, C.; Zeigler, C.C.

1978-03-01

The environmental monitoring program at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) provides reliable measurement of radioactive materials released at the source (approximately 40 locations) and present in the environment (approximately 500 locations). In recent years, water-quality testing and analysis have become an essential part of the environmental monitoring program. Aqueous discharges to plant streams are monitored for nonradioactive materials by chemical analyses of water sampled in flowing streams (approximately 25 locations). A brief discussion of plant releases to the environment and radioactive and nonradioactive materials detected in the environment are presented. The appendices contain data analysis and quality control information, sensitivities of laboratory analyses, tables of environmental sample analyses, and maps of sampling locations

Operation status display and monitoring system for BWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakabayashi, Yasuo; Hayakawa, Hiroyasu; Kawamura, Atsuo; Kaneda, Mitsunori.

1982-01-01

Lately, the development of the system has been made for BWR plants, which monitors the operating status not only in normal operation but also in abnormal state and also for plant safety. Recently, the improvement of man-machine interface has been tried through the practical use of technique which displays data collectively on a CRT screen relating them mutually. As one of those results, the practical use of an electronic computer and color CRT display for No. 1 unit in the Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Station (2F-1), Tokyo Electric Power Co., is described. Also, new centralized control panels containing such systems were used for the 1100 MWe BWR nuclear power plants now under construction, No. 3 unit of the Fukushima No. 2 Power Station and No. 1 unit of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station (2F-3 and K-1, respectively). The display and monitoring system in 2F-1 plant is the first one in which a computer and color CRTs were practically employed for a BWR plant in Japan, and already in commercial operation. The advanced operating status monitoring system, to which the result of evaluation of the above system was added, was incorporated in the new centralized control panels presently under production for 2F-3 and K-1 plants. The outline of the system, the functions of an electronic computer, plant operating status monitor, surveillance test guide, the automation of plant operation and auxiliary operation guide are reported for these advanced monitoring system. It was confirmed that these systems are useful means to improve the man-machine communication for plant operation minitoring. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Discussion on monitoring items of radionuclides in influents from nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yanxia; Li Jin; Liu Jiacheng; Han Shanbiao; Yu Zhengwei

2014-01-01

For the radionuclide monitoring items of effluents from nuclear power plant, this paper makes some comparisons and analysis from three aspects of the international atomic energy general requirements, the routine radionuclide measurement items of China's nuclear power plant and effluents low level radionuclide experimental research results. Finally, it summarizes the necessary items and recommended items of the radionuclide monitoring of effluents from nuclear power plant, which can provide references for the radioactivity monitoring activities of nuclear power plant effluent and the supervisions of regulatory departments. (authors)

Monitor and control device in a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neda, Toshikatsu.

1980-01-01

Purpose: To facilitate and ensure monitor and control, as well as improve the operation efficiency and save man power, by render the operation automatic utilizing a process computer and centralizing the monitor and control functions. Constitution: All of the operations from the start up to stop in a nuclear power plant are conducted by way of a monitor and control board. The process data for the nuclear power plant are read into the process computer and displayed on a CRT display. Controls are carried out respectively for the control rod on a control rod panel, for the feedwater rate on a feedwater control panel, for the recycling flow rate on a recycling control panel and for the turbine generator on a turbine control panel. When the operation is conducted by an automatic console, operation signals from the console are imputted into the process computer and the state of the power plant is monitored and automatic operation is carried out based on the operation signals and from signals from each of the panels. (Moriyama, K.)

Compatible bacterial mixture, tolerant to desiccation, improves maize plant growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Molina-Romero, Dalia; Baez, Antonino; Quintero-Hernández, Verónica; Castañeda-Lucio, Miguel; Fuentes-Ramírez, Luis Ernesto; Bustillos-Cristales, María Del Rocío; Rodríguez-Andrade, Osvaldo; Morales-García, Yolanda Elizabeth; Munive, Antonio; Muñoz-Rojas, Jesús

2017-01-01

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) increase plant growth and crop productivity. The inoculation of plants with a bacterial mixture (consortium) apparently provides greater benefits to plant growth than inoculation with a single bacterial strain. In the present work, a bacterial consortium was formulated containing four compatible and desiccation-tolerant strains with potential as PGPR. The formulation had one moderately (Pseudomonas putida KT2440) and three highly desiccation-tolerant (Sphingomonas sp. OF178, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 and Acinetobacter sp. EMM02) strains. The four bacterial strains were able to adhere to seeds and colonize the rhizosphere of plants when applied in both mono-inoculation and multi-inoculation treatments, showing that they can also coexist without antagonistic effects in association with plants. The effects of the bacterial consortium on the growth of blue maize were evaluated. Seeds inoculated with either individual bacterial strains or the bacterial consortium were subjected to two experimental conditions before sowing: normal hydration or desiccation. In general, inoculation with the bacterial consortium increased the shoot and root dry weight, plant height and plant diameter compared to the non-inoculated control or mono-inoculation treatments. The bacterial consortium formulated in this work had greater benefits for blue maize plants even when the inoculated seeds underwent desiccation stress before germination, making this formulation attractive for future field applications.

Compatible bacterial mixture, tolerant to desiccation, improves maize plant growth.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalia Molina-Romero

Full Text Available Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR increase plant growth and crop productivity. The inoculation of plants with a bacterial mixture (consortium apparently provides greater benefits to plant growth than inoculation with a single bacterial strain. In the present work, a bacterial consortium was formulated containing four compatible and desiccation-tolerant strains with potential as PGPR. The formulation had one moderately (Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and three highly desiccation-tolerant (Sphingomonas sp. OF178, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 and Acinetobacter sp. EMM02 strains. The four bacterial strains were able to adhere to seeds and colonize the rhizosphere of plants when applied in both mono-inoculation and multi-inoculation treatments, showing that they can also coexist without antagonistic effects in association with plants. The effects of the bacterial consortium on the growth of blue maize were evaluated. Seeds inoculated with either individual bacterial strains or the bacterial consortium were subjected to two experimental conditions before sowing: normal hydration or desiccation. In general, inoculation with the bacterial consortium increased the shoot and root dry weight, plant height and plant diameter compared to the non-inoculated control or mono-inoculation treatments. The bacterial consortium formulated in this work had greater benefits for blue maize plants even when the inoculated seeds underwent desiccation stress before germination, making this formulation attractive for future field applications.

Loblolly pine seedling growth after inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and ozone exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estes, B.L.; Enebak, S.A.; Chappelka, A.H. [Auburn Univ., Auburn, AL (United States). School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

2004-07-01

The conifer tree species with the greatest economic importance in south eastern United States plantations is Loblolly pine. Plantations require intensive fertilization, pesticide application, and irrigation. In these cases growth-promoting rhizobacteria are useful in pest control. While it was once thought that ozone in the troposphere was limited to urban areas, it is now known that it is transported far from its place of origin. Ozone is known to impact plant growth negatively. There have been no previous studies on whether growth-promoting rhizobacteria can decrease the negative effects of ozone. In this study seedlings of Loblolly pine were inoculated with either Bacillus subtilis (Ehrenberg) Cohn or Paenibacillus macerans (Schardinger) Ash. These were exposed to controlled amounts of ozone for 8-12 weeks. All plants showed decreased biomass and increased foliar damage compared to plants that were not exposed to ozone. B. subtilis inoculated plants showed less foliar damage than un-inoculated ones and root dimensions were increased. The use of growth-promoting rhizobacteria is not ready for large-scale commercial application in forestry, but this demonstration of the possible beneficial effects on ozone exposure warrants further investigation. 44 refs., 3 tabs., 2 figs.

Continuous monitoring of odours from a composting plant using electronic noses.

Science.gov (United States)

Sironi, Selena; Capelli, Laura; Céntola, Paolo; Del Rosso, Renato; Il Grande, Massimiliano

2007-01-01

The odour impact of a composting plant situated in an urbanized area was evaluated by continuously monitoring the ambient air close to the plant during a period of about 4 days using two electronic noses. One electronic nose was installed in a nearby house, and the other one inside the perimeter of the composting plant in order to compare the response of both instruments. The results of the monitoring are represented by tables that report the olfactory class and the odour concentration value attributed to the analyzed air for each of the 370 measurements carried out during the monitoring period. The electronic nose installed at the house detected the presence of odours coming from the composting plant for about 7.8% of the monitoring total duration. Of the odour detections, 86% (25 of 29 measurements) were classified as belonging to the olfactory class corresponding to the open air storage of the waste screening overflows heaps, which was therefore identified to be the major odour source of the monitored composting plant. In correspondence of the measurements during which the electronic nose inside the house detected the presence of odours from the composting plant, the olfactory classes recognized by both instruments coincide. Moreover, the electronic nose at the house detected the presence of odours from the composting plant at issue in correspondence of each odour perception of the house occupants. The results of the study show the possibility of using an electronic nose for environmental odours monitoring, which enables the classification of the quality of the air and to quantify the olfactory nuisance from an industrial source in terms of duration and odour concentration.

The growth and survival of plants in urban green roofs in a dry climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Razzaghmanesh, M; Beecham, S; Kazemi, F

2014-04-01

Green roofs as one of the components of water-sensitive urban design have become widely used in recent years. This paper describes performance monitoring of four prototype-scale experimental green roofs in a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, undertaken over a 1-year period. Four species of indigenous Australian ground cover and grass species comprising Carpobrotus rossii, Lomandra longifolia 'Tanika,' Dianella caerula 'Breeze' and Myoporum parvifolium were planted in extensive and intensive green roof configurations using two different growing media. The first medium consisted of crushed brick, scoria, coir fibre and composted organics while the second comprised scoria, composted pine bark and hydro-cell flakes. Plant growth indices including vertical and horizontal growth rate, leaf succulence, shoot and root biomasses, water use efficiency and irrigation regimes were studied during a 12-month period. The results showed that the succulent species, C. rossii, can best tolerate the hot, dry summer conditions of South Australia, and this species showed a 100% survival rate and had the maximum horizontal growth rate, leaf succulence, shoot biomass and water use efficiency. All of the plants in the intensive green roofs with the crushed brick mix media survived during the term of this study. It was shown that stormwater can be used as a source of irrigation water for green roofs during 8 months of the year in Adelaide. However, supplementary irrigation is required for some of the plants over a full annual cycle. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Usage and control of solid-state lighting for plant growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinho, P.

2008-07-01

The work begins with an introductory part in which the basic aspects related to the photosynthetic radiation, the photobiology of plants and the technology of light-emitting diodes (Leads) are overviewed. It is followed by a review of related research works that have been conducted during the last two decades, and by the main design issues of Led lumin aires for plant growth. The following part of the work reports the experimental growth tests performed. The effects of the radiation emitted by spectrally tailored Led lumin aires on plant growth have been investigated. A total of four growth tests using lettuce and radish cultivars were performed. Two basic approaches were used to investigate the effects and the future possibilities of the usage of solid-state lighting (SSL) in plant growth. The first approach evaluates the growth development of lettuce plants in real greenhouse conditions using LEDs as supplementary light sources to natural daylight. In the second approach the evaluation was carried out with a total absence of natural daylight by growing lettuce and radish plants in phytotron-chamber conditions. The effects of SSL treatments on the growth development and quality of crops were compared with reference lighting systems composed of conventional and well-established light-source technologies, such as fluorescent and high-pressure sodium lamps. During the process of the investigation, the need to coherently quantify and evaluate the spectral quality of the radiation in terms of its photosynthetic appetence arose. Different metrics are still been used indiscriminately to quantify radiation used by plants to perform photosynthesis. Therefore, the existing metrics are discussed and a new proposal for coherent systematization is presented. The proposed system is referred to phyllophotometric and it is developed using the average photosynthetic spectral quantum yield response curve of plants. The results of the growth tests showed that the usage of SSL in

Plant applications of online corrosion monitoring: CO2 capture amine plant case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kane, R.D.; Srinivasan, S.; Khakharia, P.M.; Goetheer, E.L.V.; Mertens, J.; Vroey, S. de

2015-01-01

Over the past several years, there has been a significant effort to bring corrosion monitoring into the realm of online, real-time management with plant process control technology. As part of this new direction in corrosion monitoring, corrosion data (e.g. information on corrosion rate, measured

Role of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Agricultural Sustainability—A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pravin Vejan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR shows an important role in the sustainable agriculture industry. The increasing demand for crop production with a significant reduction of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides use is a big challenge nowadays. The use of PGPR has been proven to be an environmentally sound way of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth through either a direct or indirect mechanism. The mechanisms of PGPR include regulating hormonal and nutritional balance, inducing resistance against plant pathogens, and solubilizing nutrients for easy uptake by plants. In addition, PGPR show synergistic and antagonistic interactions with microorganisms within the rhizosphere and beyond in bulk soil, which indirectly boosts plant growth rate. There are many bacteria species that act as PGPR, described in the literature as successful for improving plant growth. However, there is a gap between the mode of action (mechanism of the PGPR for plant growth and the role of the PGPR as biofertilizer—thus the importance of nano-encapsulation technology in improving the efficacy of PGPR. Hence, this review bridges the gap mentioned and summarizes the mechanism of PGPR as a biofertilizer for agricultural sustainability.

Role of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Agricultural Sustainability-A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Vejan, Pravin; Abdullah, Rosazlin; Khadiran, Tumirah; Ismail, Salmah; Nasrulhaq Boyce, Amru

2016-04-29

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) shows an important role in the sustainable agriculture industry. The increasing demand for crop production with a significant reduction of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides use is a big challenge nowadays. The use of PGPR has been proven to be an environmentally sound way of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth through either a direct or indirect mechanism. The mechanisms of PGPR include regulating hormonal and nutritional balance, inducing resistance against plant pathogens, and solubilizing nutrients for easy uptake by plants. In addition, PGPR show synergistic and antagonistic interactions with microorganisms within the rhizosphere and beyond in bulk soil, which indirectly boosts plant growth rate. There are many bacteria species that act as PGPR, described in the literature as successful for improving plant growth. However, there is a gap between the mode of action (mechanism) of the PGPR for plant growth and the role of the PGPR as biofertilizer-thus the importance of nano-encapsulation technology in improving the efficacy of PGPR. Hence, this review bridges the gap mentioned and summarizes the mechanism of PGPR as a biofertilizer for agricultural sustainability.

Radiation monitor system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Bingzhe; Guo Shusheng

1990-12-01

The system has 8 kinds of radiation monitors and 2 stage microcomputers designed for processing the data from each monitor, storaging the information, printing out and displaying on the colour CRT. The function of the system includes high-value alarm, warm alarm and failure alarm, so called t hree-level alarms . Two functions of the alarms are the threshold alarm and the tendency alarm, so that this system is an intelligency system. This system has high reliability and very wide range when LOCA accident takes place. It is aseismic and immune to industrial interference. The system can meet IEC-761-1 standard and is of nuclear safety 3rd class. Also the following monitors were designed: 133 Xe monitor, 131 I monitor, low-level liquid monitor and high radiation γ area monitor. The system can meet the requirements of nuclear power plants

Effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on root morphology of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Jane

2011-10-03

Oct 3, 2011 ... Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria improve the plant growth by a variety of ways like ... preparing textile dye in the Far East, Central and. Northern Asia and ... The experiment was carried out in complete randomized design.

Continuous emission monitoring systems for power plants. The state-of-the-art

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bamberger, J.A.

1988-01-01

Continuous monitoring of power plant emissions is performed to improve combustion and control equipment efficiency, and in response to various government agency requirements. This paper focuses upon recent developments in Continuous Emission Monitoring (CEM) and Systems (CEMS) for power plants. Topics presented include the perspective of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the states: Continuous Monitoring of Power Plant Emissions - An EPA Perspective; Pennsylvania's Proposed Continuous Emission Monitoring System Data Telemetry Requirements for Municipal, Hospital and Infectious Waste Incinerators; the importance of quality assurance; Continuous Emission Monitoring and Quality Assurance Requirements for New Power Plants; Highlights of Pennsylvania's Continuous Emission Monitoring System Quality Assurance Program; improved system specifications and data acquisition methods; Improved Specifications for Continuous Emission Monitoring; A Microcomputer-Based Data Acquisition System for CEMS; CEMS applications; Expanded Use of CEMS in Acid Rain Control Programs: Opinions of Users, Control Agencies and Vendors; and an innovative measurement technique to assess electrostatic precipitator performance; The Assessment of Pulverized Coal Fly Ash Collection in Electrostatic Precipitators Using an Instrumental Assessment Technique

Laboratory study on influence of plant growth promoting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Aghomotsegin

2015-03-06

Mar 6, 2015 ... promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth response and tolerance of Zea ... inoculating maize seeds with plant growth promoting rhizobacterial strains in a crude oil impacted medium. ..... Botany and Environmental Health.

Nickel detoxification and plant growth promotion by multi metal resistant plant growth promoting Rhizobium species RL9.

Science.gov (United States)

Wani, Parvaze Ahmad; Khan, Mohammad Saghir

2013-07-01

Pollution of the biosphere by heavy metals is a global threat that has accelerated dramatically since the beginning of industrial revolution. The aim of the study is to check the resistance of RL9 towards the metals and to observe the effect of Rhizobium species on growth, pigment content, protein and nickel uptake by lentil in the presence and absence of nickel. The multi metal tolerant and plant growth promoting Rhizobium strain RL9 was isolated from the nodules of lentil. The strain not only tolerated nickel but was also tolerant o cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, zinc and copper. The strain tolerated nickel 500 μg/mL, cadmium 300 μg/mL, chromium 400 μg/mL, lead 1,400 μg/mL, zinc 1,000 μg/mL and copper 300 μg/mL, produced good amount of indole acetic acid and was also positive for siderophore, hydrogen cyanide and ammonia. The strain RL9 was further assessed with increasing concentrations of nickel when lentil was used as a test crop. The strain RL9 significantly increased growth, nodulation, chlorophyll, leghaemoglobin, nitrogen content, seed protein and seed yield compared to plants grown in the absence of bioinoculant but amended with nickel The strain RL9 decreased uptake of nickel in lentil compared to plants grown in the absence of bio-inoculant. Due to these intrinsic abilities strain RL9 could be utilized for growth promotion as well as for the remediation of nickel in nickel contaminated soil.

Growth of melanoma brain tumors monitored by photoacoustic microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Staley, Jacob; Grogan, Patrick; Samadi, Abbas K.; Cui, Huizhong; Cohen, Mark S.; Yang, Xinmai

2010-07-01

Melanoma is a primary malignancy that is known to metastasize to the brain and often causes death. The ability to image the growth of brain melanoma in vivo can provide new insights into its evolution and response to therapies. In our study, we use a reflection mode photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) system to detect the growth of melanoma brain tumor in a small animal model. The melanoma tumor cells are implanted in the brain of a mouse at the beginning of the test. Then, PAM is used to scan the region of implantation in the mouse brain, and the growth of the melanoma is monitored until the death of the animal. It is demonstrated that PAM is capable of detecting and monitoring the brain melanoma growth noninvasively in vivo.

Getting the ecology into the interactions between plants and the plant-growth promoting bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hol, W.H.G.; Bezemer, T.M.; Biere, A.

2013-01-01

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are increasingly appreciated for their contributions to primary productivity through promotion of growth and triggering of induced systemic resistance in plants. Here we focus on the beneficial effects of one particular species of PGPR (Pseudomonas

Short-Chain Chitin Oligomers: Promoters of Plant Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander J. Winkler

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature after cellulose, and it forms an integral part of insect exoskeletons, crustacean shells, krill and the cell walls of fungal spores, where it is present as a high-molecular-weight molecule. In this study, we showed that a chitin oligosaccharide of lower molecular weight (tetramer induced genes in Arabidopsis that are principally related to vegetative growth, development and carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Based on plant responses to this chitin tetramer, a low-molecular-weight chitin mix (CHL enriched to 92% with dimers (2mer, trimers (3mer and tetramers (4mer was produced for potential use in biotechnological processes. Compared with untreated plants, CHL-treated plants had increased in vitro fresh weight (10%, radicle length (25% and total carbon and nitrogen content (6% and 8%, respectively. Our data show that low-molecular-weight forms of chitin might play a role in nature as bio-stimulators of plant growth, and they are also a known direct source of carbon and nitrogen for soil biomass. The biochemical properties of the CHL mix might make it useful as a non-contaminating bio-stimulant of plant growth and a soil restorer for greenhouses and fields.

Sensor/signal monitoring and plant maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciftcioglu, Oe.; Tuerkcan, E.

1994-02-01

Nuclear Power Plant (NPO) availability is determined by the intended functionality of safety related system and components. Therefore, maintenance is an important issue in a power plant connected to the plant's reliability and safety. The traditional maintenance policies proved to be rather costly and even not effectively addressing NPP requirements. Referring to these drawbacks, in the last decade, in the nuclear reliability centered maintenance (RCM) gained substantial interest due to its merits. In the formal implementation of RCM, apparently, predictive maintenance is not considered. However, with the impact of modern real-time and on-line surveillance and monitoring methodologies, the predictive maintenance procedures like sensor/signal verification and validation are to be included into RCM. (orig.)

Enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants exhibit growth advantages in high nitrogen conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, X A; Peng, Y; Li, J J; Peng, P H

2018-03-12

Resource amendments commonly promote plant invasions, raising concerns over the potential consequences of nitrogen (N) deposition; however, it is unclear whether invaders will benefit from N deposition more than natives. Growth is among the most fundamental inherent traits of plants and thus good invaders may have superior growth advantages in response to resource amendments. We compared the growth and allocation between invasive and native plants in different N regimes including controls (ambient N concentrations). We found that invasive plants always grew much larger than native plants in varying N conditions, regardless of growth- or phylogeny-based analyses, and that the former allocated more biomass to shoots than the latter. Although N addition enhanced the growth of invasive plants, this enhancement did not increase with increasing N addition. Across invasive and native species, changes in shoot biomass allocation were positively correlated with changes in whole-plant biomass; and the slope of this relationship was greater in invasive plants than native plants. These findings suggest that enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants retain a growth advantage in high N conditions relative to natives, and also highlight that future N deposition may increase the risks of plant invasions.

Environmental monitoring at the Savannah River Plant. Annual report, 1975

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashley, C.; Zeigler, C.C.

1975-01-01

The environmental monitoring program at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) provides reliable measurement of radioactive materials both released at the source (approximately 40 locations) and concentrated in the environment (approximately 500 locations). In recent years, water quality testing and analysis have become an essential part of the environmental monitoring program. Aqueous discharges to plant streams are monitored for nonradioactive materials by chemical analyses of water sampled in flowing streams (approximately 25 locations). A brief discussion of plant releases to the environment and radioactive and nonradioactive materials detected in the environment are presented in the following text, figures, and tables. The appendices contain an interpretation of data treatment, tables of results of environmental sample analyses, sensitivities of laboratory analyses, and maps of sampling locations

High-yielding Wheat Varieties Harbour Superior Plant Growth Promoting-Bacterial Endophytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehwish Yousaf

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the endophytic microbial flora of different wheat varieties to check whether a better yielding variety also harbours superior plant growth promoting bacteria. Such bacteria are helpful in food biotechnology as their application can enhance the yield of the crop.Material and Methods: Three wheat varieties (Seher, Faisalabad and Lasani were selected, Seher being the most superior variety. endophytic bacteria were isolated from the histosphere of the leaves and roots at different growth phases of the plants. The isolates were analyzed for plant growth promoting activities. Isolates giving best results were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Statistical analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2013. All the experiments were conducted in triplicates.Results and Conclusion: The endophytes of Seher variety showed maximum plant growth promoting abilities. Among the shoot endophytes, the highest auxin production was shown by Seher isolate SHHP1-3 up to 51.9μg ml-1, whereas in the case of root endophytes, the highest auxin was produced by SHHR1-5 up to 36 μg ml-1. The bacteria showing significant plant growth promoting abilities were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Bacillus, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria species were the dominant bacteria showing all the traits of plant growth promotion. It can be concluded that Seher variety harbours superior plant growth promoting endophytes that must be one of the reasons for its better growth and yield as compared to the other two varieties. The investigated results support possible utilization of the selected isolates in wheat growth promotion with respect to increase in agro-productivity. The application of such bacteria could be useful to enhance wheat yield and can help in food biotechnology.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

On-line valve monitoring at the Ormen Lange gas plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenlees, R.; Hale, S. [Score Atlanta Inc., Kennesaw, Georgia (United States)

2011-07-01

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss replacing time and labor intensive nuclear outage activities with on line condition monitoring solutions, primarily the periodic verification of MOV functionality discussed in USNRC Generic Letter 96.05. This regulation requires that MOV age related performance degradations are properly identified and accounted for, causing utilities to have to retest valves periodically for the duration of the plants operating license. AECL designed CANDU reactors have a world class performance and safety record, with typical average annual capacity factors of 90%. The CANDU reactor design has the ability to refuel on line, as a result (a) it can be a challenge scheduling all required valve testing into limited duration outage work windows, (b) at multi unit sites, Unit 0 valves can be difficult to test because they are rarely ever out of service, (c) deuterium-oxide (heavy water) moderator is expensive to manufacture, as a result, effective through valve leakage monitoring is essential. These three factors alone make CANDU sites the most suitable candidates for on line valve monitoring systems. Nuclear industry regulations have been instrumental in the development of 'at the valve' diagnostic systems, but diagnostic testing has not typically been utilized to the same degree in other less regulated industries. However, that trend is changing, and the move toward valve diagnostics and condition monitoring has moved fastest in the offshore oil and gas industry on the Norwegian side of the North Sea. The Ormen Lange plant, located on Nyhamna Island on the west coast of Norway, operated by Shell, is one of the worlds most advanced gas processing plants. A stated maintenance goal for the plant is that 70% of the maintenance budget and spend should be based on the results of on line condition monitoring, utilizing monitoring systems equipped with switch sensing, strain gages, hydraulic and pneumatic pressure transducers and

On-line valve monitoring at the Ormen Lange gas plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenlees, R.; Hale, S.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss replacing time and labor intensive nuclear outage activities with on line condition monitoring solutions, primarily the periodic verification of MOV functionality discussed in USNRC Generic Letter 96.05. This regulation requires that MOV age related performance degradations are properly identified and accounted for, causing utilities to have to retest valves periodically for the duration of the plants operating license. AECL designed CANDU reactors have a world class performance and safety record, with typical average annual capacity factors of 90%. The CANDU reactor design has the ability to refuel on line, as a result (a) it can be a challenge scheduling all required valve testing into limited duration outage work windows, (b) at multi unit sites, Unit 0 valves can be difficult to test because they are rarely ever out of service, (c) deuterium-oxide (heavy water) moderator is expensive to manufacture, as a result, effective through valve leakage monitoring is essential. These three factors alone make CANDU sites the most suitable candidates for on line valve monitoring systems. Nuclear industry regulations have been instrumental in the development of 'at the valve' diagnostic systems, but diagnostic testing has not typically been utilized to the same degree in other less regulated industries. However, that trend is changing, and the move toward valve diagnostics and condition monitoring has moved fastest in the offshore oil and gas industry on the Norwegian side of the North Sea. The Ormen Lange plant, located on Nyhamna Island on the west coast of Norway, operated by Shell, is one of the worlds most advanced gas processing plants. A stated maintenance goal for the plant is that 70% of the maintenance budget and spend should be based on the results of on line condition monitoring, utilizing monitoring systems equipped with switch sensing, strain gages, hydraulic and pneumatic pressure transducers and acoustic leakage

Radiological monitoring plan for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant: Surface Water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-10-01

The Y-12 Plant conducts a surface water monitoring program in response to DOE Orders and state of Tennessee requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The anticipated codification of DOE Order 5400.5 for radiation protection of the public and the environment (10 CFR Part 834) will require an environmental radiation protection plan (ERPP). The NPDES permit issued by the state of Tennessee requires a radiological monitoring plan (RMP) for Y-12 Plant surface waters. In a May 4, 1995 memo, the state of Tennessee, Division of Water Pollution Control, stated their desired needs and goals regarding the content of RMPs, associated documentation, and data resulting from the RMPs required under the NPDES permitting system (L. Bunting, General Discussion, Radiological Monitoring Plans, Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control, May 4,1995). Appendix A provides an overview of how the Y-12 Plant will begin to address these needs and goals. It provides a more complete, documented basis for the current Y-12 Plant surface water monitoring program and is intended to supplement documentation provided in the Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs), NPDES reports, Groundwater Quality Assessment Reports, and studies conducted under the Y-12 Plant Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. The purpose of this update to the Y-12 Plant RMP is to satisfy the requirements of the current NPDES permit, DOE Order 5400.5, and 10 CFR Part 834, as current proposed, by defining the radiological monitoring plan for surface water for the Y-12 Plant. This plan includes initial storm water monitoring and data analysis. Related activities such as sanitary sewer and sediment monitoring are also summarized. The plan discusses monitoring goals necessary to determine background concentrations of radionuclides, to quantify releases, determine trends, satisfy regulatory requirements, support consequence assessments, and meet requirements that releases be ''as low as

Bacillus spp. from rainforest soil promote plant growth under limited nitrogen conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, X-F; Zhou, D; Guo, J; Manter, D K; Reardon, K F; Vivanco, J M

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of PGPR (plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria) isolated from rainforest soil on different plants under limited nitrogen conditions. Bacterial isolates from a Peruvian rainforest soil were screened for plant growth-promoting effects on Arabidopsis (Col-0). Four selected isolates including one Bacillus subtilis, two B. atrophaeus and one B. pumilus significantly promoted growth of Zea mays L. and Solanum lycopersicum under greenhouse conditions. Moreover, the PGPRs significantly promoted growth of S. lycopersicum in both low and nitrogen-amended soil conditions. These PGPR strains were further studied to obtain insights into possible mechanisms of plant growth promotion. Volatile chemicals from those isolates promoted Arabidopsis growth, and the expression of genes related to IAA production was induced in the Arabidopsis plants treated with PGPRs. Further, selected PGPR strains triggered induced systemic resistance (ISR) against Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 in Arabidopsis. PGPR strains isolated from the rainforest soil promoted the plant growth of Arabidopsis, corn and tomato. New PGPR that have wider adaptability to different crops, soils and environmental conditions are needed to decrease our reliance on agricultural amendments derived from fossil-based fuels. The PGPRs isolated from a nonagricultural site constitute new plant growth-promoting strains that could be developed for agricultural uses. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Broadcasting the Status of Plant Growth Chamber using Bluetooth Low Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Azam Moh Noor

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Mobile users are getting smarter in using their phones. Many tasks are usually completed or monitored via a computer screen, nowadays can be taken anywhere with Android phones or tablets. Likewise with features in the phone is increasingly sophisticated. Currently bluetooth version 4 is almost mandatory in all phones. Even for entry level phones are now equipped with bluetooth version 4. This paper discusses the use of Bluetooth Low Energy—which is part of bluetooth version 4, in providing information about the status of plant growth chamber conditions. By using this concept, all phones or tablets that have bluetooth version 4 and there are applications in it will be able to receive the latest chamber status. The results show that this way of broadcasting is very effective. The data required to be monitored by a laboratory technician can be continuously broadcasted so that anyone on duty will get instant information at his grasp.

The role of endomembrane-localized VHA-c in plant growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Aimin; Takano, Tetsuo; Liu, Shenkui

2018-01-02

In plant cells, the vacuolar-type H + -ATPase (V-ATPase), a large multis`ubunit endomembrane proton pump, plays an important role in acidification of subcellular organelles, pH and ion homeostasis, and endocytic and secretory trafficking. V-ATPase subunit c (VHA-c) is essential for V-ATPase assembly, and is directly responsible for binding and transmembrane transport of protons. In previous studies, we identified a PutVHA-c gene from Puccinellia tenuiflora, and investigated its function in plant growth. Subcellular localization revealed that PutVHA-c is mainly localized in endosomal compartments. Overexpression of PutVHA-c enhanced V-ATPase activity and promoted plant growth in transgenic Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the activity of V-ATPase affected intracellular transport of the Golgi-derived endosomes. Our results showed that endomembrane localized-VHA-c contributes to plant growth by influencing V-ATPase-dependent endosomal trafficking. Here, we discuss these recent findings and speculate on the VHA-c mediated molecular mechanisms involved in plant growth, providing a better understanding of the functions of VHA-c and V-ATPase.

Monitoring and management of tritium from the nuclear power plant effluent

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiaoe; Liu, Ting; Yang, Lili; Meng, De; Song, Dahu

2018-01-01

It is important to regulate tritium nuclides from the nuclear power plant effluent, the paper briefly analyzes the main source of tritium, and the regulatory requirements associated with tritium in our country and the United States. The monitoring methods of tritium from the nuclear power plant effluent are described, and the purpose to give some advice to our national nuclear power plant about the effluent of tritium monitoring and management.

The vascular plants: open system of growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Basile, Alice; Fambrini, Marco; Pugliesi, Claudio

2017-03-01

What is fascinating in plants (true also in sessile animals such as corals and hydroids) is definitely their open and indeterminate growth, as a result of meristematic activity. Plants as well as animals are characterized by a multicellular organization, with which they share a common set of genes inherited from a common eukaryotic ancestor; nevertheless, circa 1.5 billion years of evolutionary history made the two kingdoms very different in their own developmental biology. Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, arose during the Cretaceous Period (145-65 million years ago), and up to date, they count around 235,000 species, representing the largest and most diverse group within the plant kingdom. One of the foundations of their success relies on the plant-pollinator relationship, essentially unique to angiosperms that pushed large speciation in both plants and insects and on the presence of the carpel, the structure devoted to seed enclosure. A seed represents the main organ preserving the genetic information of a plant; during embryogenesis, the primary axis of development is established by two groups of pluripotent cells: the shoot apical meristem (SAM), responsible for gene rating all aboveground organs, and the root apical meristem (RAM), responsible for producing all underground organs. During postembryonic shoot development, axillary meristem (AM) initiation and outgrowth are responsible for producing all secondary axes of growth including inflorescence branches or flowers. The production of AMs is tightly linked to the production of leaves and their separation from SAM. As leaf primordia are formed on the flanks of the SAM, a region between the apex and the developing organ is established and referred to as boundary zone. Interaction between hormones and the gene network in the boundary zone is fundamental for AM initiation. AMs only develop at the adaxial base of the leaf; thus, AM initiation is also strictly associated with leaf polarity. AMs

Environmental monitoring report for Pantex Plant covering 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laseter, W.A.

1987-04-01

This report summarizes the environmental monitoring program at Pantex Plant for 1986. It has been prepared in accordance with the US Department of Energy Order 5484.1. This report presents monitoring data for both radioactive and nonradioactive species in the local environment. Plant activities involve the handling of significant quantities of uranium, plutonium and tritium in the form of completed parts received from other DOE facilities, resulting in a very low potential for release of these radionuclides to the atmosphere. In 1986 only small releases of depleted uranium (depleted in the isotope U-235) and tritium occurred which could have affected the local environment. Monitoring data indicate that concentrations of these nuclides in the environment are below established criteria for air and water and therefore should not present a health hazard either to employees or to the public

Revegetation in abandoned quarries with landfill stabilized waste and gravels: water dynamics and plant growth – a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.-L. Zhang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Large amounts of quarry wastes are produced during quarrying. Though quarry wastes are commonly used in pavement construction and concrete production, in situ utilization during ecological restoration of abandoned quarries has the advantage of simplicity. In this paper, rock fragments 2–3 cm in size were mixed with landfill stabilized waste (LSW in different proportions (LSW : gravel, RL, which was called LGM. The water content, runoff and plant growth under natural precipitation were monitored for 2 years using a runoff plot experiment. LGM with a low fraction of LSW was compacted to different degrees to achieve an appropriate porosity; water dynamics and plant growth of compacted LGM were studied in a field experiment. The results showed the following: (1 LGM can be used during restoration in abandoned quarries as growing material for plants. (2 RL had a significant effect on the infiltration and water-holding capacity of LGM and thus influenced the retention of precipitation, water condition and plant growth. LGM with RL ranging from 8:1 to 3:7 was suitable for plant growth, and the target species grew best when RL was 5:5. (3 Compaction significantly enhanced water content of LGM with a low RL of 2:8, but leaf water content of plants was lower or unchanged in the more compacted plots. Moderate compaction was beneficial to the survival and growth of Robinia pseudoacacia L. Platycladus orientalis (L. Franco and Medicago sativa L. were not significantly affected by compaction, and they grew better under a high degree of compaction, which was disadvantageous for the uppermost layer of vegetation.

Characterization of Minnesota lunar simulant for plant growth

Science.gov (United States)

Oglesby, James P.; Lindsay, Willard L.; Sadeh, Willy Z.

1993-01-01

Processing of lunar regolith into a plant growth medium is crucial in the development of a regenerative life support system for a lunar base. Plants, which are the core of such a system, produce food and oxygen for humans and, at the same time, consume carbon dioxide. Because of the scarcity of lunar regolith, simulants must be used to infer its properties and to develop procedures for weathering and chemical analyses. The Minnesota Lunar Simulant (MLS) has been identified to date as the best available simulant for lunar regolith. Results of the dissolution studies reveal that appropriately fertilized MLS can be a suitable medium for plant growth. The techniques used in conducting these studies can be extended to investigate the suitability of actual lunar regolith as a plant growth medium. Dissolution experiments were conducted using the MLS to determine its nutritional and toxicity characteristics for plant growth and to develop weathering and chemical analysis techniques. Two weathering regimes, one with water and one with dilute organic acids simulating the root rhizosphere microenvironment, were investigated. Elemental concentrations were measured using inductively-coupled-plasma (ICP) emission spectrometry and ion chromatography (IC). The geochemical speciation model, MINTEQA2, was used to determine the major solution species and the minerals controlling them. Acidification was found to be a useful method for increasing cation concentrations to meaningful levels. Initial results indicate that MLS weathers to give neutral to slightly basic solutions which contain acceptable amounts of the essential elements required for plant nutrition (i.e., potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, sodium, silicon, manganese, copper, chlorine, boron, molybdenum, and cobalt). Elements that need to be supplemented include carbon, nitrogen, and perhaps phosphorus and iron. Trace metals in solution were present at nontoxic levels.

Calibration of radiation monitors at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudreau, L.; Miller, A.D.; Naughton, M.D.

1994-03-01

This work was performed to provide guidance to the utilities in the primary and secondary calibration of the radiation monitoring systems (RMS) installed in nuclear power plants. These systems are installed in nuclear power plants to monitor ongoing processes, identify changing radiation fields, predict and limit personnel radiation exposures and measure and control discharge of radioactive materials to the environment. RMS are checked and calibrated on a continuing basis to ensure their precision and accuracy. This report discusses various approaches towards primary and secondary calibrations of the RMS equipment in light of accepted practices at typical power plants and recent interpretations of regulatory guidance. Detailed calibration techniques and overall system responses, trends, and practices are discussed. Industry, utility, and regulatory sources were contacted to create an overall consensus of the most reasonable approaches to optimizing the performance of this equipment

Hydrosphere monitoring at nuclear power plant sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belousova, A.P.; Zakharova, T.V.; Shvets, V.M.

1993-01-01

The paper deals with problems related to protection of the environment in areas occupied by nuclear power plants (NPP). NPP construction and operation result in destruction of ecological, geochemical and geological equilibria in and around NPP sites. This process requires monitoring. Recommendations of the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAAE) suggest monitoring to commence 2-3 years prior to the start of NPP construction. The paper describes the extent of hydrosphere monitoring and guidelines along which monitoring is to be organized. The authors recommend a certain approach toward the planning observation networks and provide description of forecasting subsystem that consist of a data bank, a continuously operating model (COM) and a forecast unit

Automation of technical specification monitoring for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, J.C.; Abbott, E.C.; Hubbard, F.R.

1986-01-01

The complexity of today's nuclear power plants combined with an equally detailed regulatory process makes it necessary for the plant staff to have access to an automated system capable of monitoring the status of limiting conditions for operation (LCO). Pickard, Lowe and Garrick, Inc. (PLG), has developed the first of such a system, called Limiting Conditions for Operation Monitor (LIMCOM). LIMCOM provides members of the operating staff with an up-to-date comparison of currently operable equipment and plant operating conditions with what is required in the technical specifications. LIMCOM also provides an effective method of screening tagout requests by evaluating their impact on the LCOs. Finally, LIMCOM provides an accurate method of tracking and scheduling routine surveillance. (author)

Nuclear power plant control room operator control and monitoring tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bovell, C.R.; Beck, M.G.; Carter, R.J.

1998-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is conducting a research project the purpose of which is to develop the technical bases for regulatory review criteria for use in evaluating the safety implications of human factors associated with the use of artificial intelligence and expert systems, and with advanced instrumentation and control (I and C) systems in nuclear power plants (NPP). This report documents the results from Task 8 of that project. The primary objectives of the task was to identify the scope and type of control and monitoring tasks now performed by control-room operators. Another purpose was to address the types of controls and safety systems needed to operate the nuclear plant. The final objective of Task 8 was to identify and categorize the type of information and displays/indicators required to monitor the performance of the control and safety systems. This report also discusses state-of-the-art controls and advanced display devices which will be available for use in control-room retrofits and in control room of future plants. The fundamental types of control and monitoring tasks currently conducted by operators can be divided into four classifications: function monitoring tasks, control manipulation tasks, fault diagnostic tasks, and administrative tasks. There are three general types of controls used in today's NPPs, switches, pushbuttons, and analog controllers. Plant I and C systems include components to achieve a number of safety-related functions: measuring critical plant parameters, controlling critical plant parameters within safety limits, and automatically actuating protective devices if safe limits are exceeded. The types of information monitored by the control-room operators consist of the following parameters: pressure, fluid flow and level, neutron flux, temperature, component status, water chemistry, electrical, and process and area radiation. The basic types of monitoring devices common to nearly all NPP control rooms include: analog meters

Plant growth promoters and methods of using them

KAUST Repository

Al-Babili, Salim

2017-01-01

New plant growth regulators, including compounds and compositions, and methods of use including for promoting root growth. The compounds are carotenoid oxidation products, and a preferred example is 3-OH--β-apo-13-Carotenone. A method comprising

Selenium promotes sulfur accumulation and plant growth in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Science.gov (United States)

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for animals and humans and a target for biofortification in crops. Sulfur (S) is a crucial nutrient for plant growth. To gain better understanding of Se and S nutrition and interaction in plants, the effects of Se dosages and forms on plant growth as well ...

Sugar signals and the control of plant growth and development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lastdrager, Jeroen|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/357520076; Hanson, Johannes|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304822299; Smeekens, Sjef|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/072489995

2014-01-01

Sugars have a central regulatory function in steering plant growth. This review focuses on information presented in the past 2 years on key players in sugar-mediated plant growth regulation, with emphasis on trehalose 6-phosphate, target of rapamycin kinase, and Snf1-related kinase 1 regulatory

Lactococcus lactis Metabolism and Gene Expression during Growth on Plant Tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Golomb, Benjamin L.

2014-01-01

Lactic acid bacteria have been isolated from living, harvested, and fermented plant materials; however, the adaptations these bacteria possess for growth on plant tissues are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated plant habitat-specific traits of Lactococcus lactis during growth in an Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue lysate (ATL). L. lactis KF147, a strain originally isolated from plants, exhibited a higher growth rate and reached 7.9-fold-greater cell densities during growth in ATL than the dairy-associated strain L. lactis IL1403. Transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) of KF147 identified 853 induced and 264 repressed genes during growth in ATL compared to that in GM17 laboratory culture medium. Genes induced in ATL included those involved in the arginine deiminase pathway and a total of 140 carbohydrate transport and metabolism genes, many of which are involved in xylose, arabinose, cellobiose, and hemicellulose metabolism. The induction of those genes corresponded with L. lactis KF147 nutrient consumption and production of metabolic end products in ATL as measured by gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS) untargeted metabolomic profiling. To assess the importance of specific plant-inducible genes for L. lactis growth in ATL, xylose metabolism was targeted for gene knockout mutagenesis. Wild-type L. lactis strain KF147 but not an xylA deletion mutant was able to grow using xylose as the sole carbon source. However, both strains grew to similarly high levels in ATL, indicating redundancy in L. lactis carbohydrate metabolism on plant tissues. These findings show that certain strains of L. lactis are well adapted for growth on plants and possess specific traits relevant for plant-based food, fuel, and feed fermentations. PMID:25384484

Influence of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs and Planting Method on Growth and Yield in Oil Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirzad SURE

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The effect of plant growth regulators IBA (indole butyric acid, GA3 (gibberellin and ethylene (as ethephon in two methods of planting was investigated (each method was considered as a separate experiment on morphological characters and yield of medicinal pumpkin. The experiments were carried out in a factorial trial based on completely randomized block design, with four replicates. The treatments were combined with priming and spraying with the above PGRs. The first seed priming with control (water, IBA 100 ppm, GA3 25 ppm and ethephon 200 ppm, and when seedling developed to 4 leaf stage sprayed there with control (water, IBA 100 ppm, GA3 25 ppm and ethephon 200 ppm for three times. In both planting methods, there were all of these treatments. The result showed that PGRs and planting method had significant effects on vegetative, flowering and yield characteristics including: leaf area %DM plant, number of male and female flowers per plant, number of fruit/plant, fruits fresh weight, seeds length and width, number of seed per fruit, seed yield, % seeds oil and oil yield. Hence spraying with GA3 25 ppm in four leaf stage at trellis method could be a suitable treatment for enhancing growth and yield of medicinal pumpkin.

Online Monitoring of Concrete Structures in Nuclear Power Plants: Interim Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahadevan, Sankaran [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Cai, Guowei [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Agarwal, Vivek [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-03-01

The existing fleet of nuclear power plants in the United States have initial operating licenses of 40 years, and many of these plants have applied for and received license extensions. As plant structures, systems, and components age, their useful life—considering both structural integrity and performance—is reduced as a result of deterioration of the materials. Assessment and management of aging concrete structures in nuclear plants require a more systematic approach than simple reliance on existing code-based design margins of safety. Structural health monitoring is required to produce actionable information regarding structural integrity that supports operational and maintenance decisions. The online monitoring of concrete structures project conducted under the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Technologies Pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability program at Idaho National Laboratory is seeking to develop and demonstrate capabilities for concrete structures health monitoring. Through this research project, several national laboratories and Vanderbilt University propose to develop a framework of research activities for the health monitoring of nuclear power plant concrete structures that includes the integration of four elements—damage modeling, monitoring, data analytics, and uncertainty quantification. This report briefly discusses activities in this project during October-December, 2014. The most significant activity during this period was the organizing of a two-day workshop on research needs in online monitoring of concrete structures, hosted by Vanderbilt University in November 2014. Thirty invitees from academia, industry and government participated in the workshop. The presentations and discussions at the workshop surveyed current activities related to concrete structures deterioration modeling and monitoring, and identified the challenges, knowledge gaps, and opportunities for advancing the state of the art; these

Biological monitoring of environmental contaminants (plants). Executive summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burton, M.A.S.

1986-01-01

Knowledge of contaminant concentrations does not necessarily indicate their significance to plant populations and communities within ecosystems. Accumulation within plants facilitates analysis of contaminants which may be present at very low levels in the environment and may show the spatial distribution and changes in the level of contamination with time. Effects on species distribution within plant communities and visible injury to foliage may also be related to contamination. Species can be selected appropriate to the area and the contaminant to be monitored. Species used to investigate the input of contaminants from atmospheric deposition, for example, may differ from those used to assess transfer through food webs. Mosses and lichens have been particularly widely used in many countries to show distribution of metals and radionuclides on local and regional scales and of pesticide contamination. Visible injury to foliage of higher plant species may reflect atmospheric concentrations of gaseous pollutants and monitoring networks of transplanted sensitive species can provide information on contaminant levels on a regional scale. Changes in species composition, especially of lichens, have also been related to the degree of contamination.

Individualism in plant populations: using stochastic differential equations to model individual neighbourhood-dependent plant growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Qiming; Schneider, Manuel K; Pitchford, Jonathan W

2008-08-01

We study individual plant growth and size hierarchy formation in an experimental population of Arabidopsis thaliana, within an integrated analysis that explicitly accounts for size-dependent growth, size- and space-dependent competition, and environmental stochasticity. It is shown that a Gompertz-type stochastic differential equation (SDE) model, involving asymmetric competition kernels and a stochastic term which decreases with the logarithm of plant weight, efficiently describes individual plant growth, competition, and variability in the studied population. The model is evaluated within a Bayesian framework and compared to its deterministic counterpart, and to several simplified stochastic models, using distributional validation. We show that stochasticity is an important determinant of size hierarchy and that SDE models outperform the deterministic model if and only if structural components of competition (asymmetry; size- and space-dependence) are accounted for. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of plant ecology and in more general modelling situations.

Effect of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria inoculation on plant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A field experiment was conducted in a wet season (Kharif) to study the effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR) inoculation on agronomic traits and productivity of Basmati rice (cv. 'Pusa Basmati 1401') in a randomized block with twelve treatments. We evaluated one bacterial (Providencia sp. PW5) and one ...

Symbiotic regulation of plant growth, development and reproduction

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, R.J.; Freeman, D. Carl; McArthur, E.D.; Kim, Y.-O.; Redman, R.S.

2009-01-01

The growth and development of rice (Oryzae sativa) seedlings was shown to be regulated epigenetically by a fungal endophyte. In contrast to un-inoculated (nonsymbiotic) plants, endophyte colonized (symbiotic) plants preferentially allocated resources into root growth until root hairs were well established. During that time symbiotic roots expanded at five times the rate observed in nonsymbiotic plants. Endophytes also influenced sexual reproduction of mature big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) plants. Two spatially distinct big sagebrush subspecies and their hybrids were symbiotic with unique fungal endophytes, despite being separated by only 380 m distance and 60 m elevation. A double reciprocal transplant experiment of parental and hybrid plants, and soils across the hybrid zone showed that fungal endophytes interact with the soils and different plant genotypes to confer enhanced plant reproduction in soil native to the endophyte and reduced reproduction in soil alien to the endophyte. Moreover, the most prevalent endophyte of the hybrid zone reduced the fitness of both parental subspecies. Because these endophytes are passed to the next generation of plants on seed coats, this interaction provides a selective advantage, habitat specificity, and the means of restricting gene flow, thereby making the hybrid zone stable, narrow and potentially leading to speciation. ?? 2009 Landes Bioscience.

The effect of plant growth regulators, explants and cultivars on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To achieve the best explants and media for spinach tissue culture, the effects of two different plant growth regulators, two explants and cultivars on adventitious shoot regeneration were tested. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed that the effects of plant growth regulators on spinach tissue culture were significant; ...

Experiments on Growth and Variation of Spaceship Loaded Plant Seeds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, S. Y.; Lee, G. J.; Kim, D. S.; Kim, J. B.

2008-08-15

This educational experiment was designed (1)to obtain the basic information on the effects of the space environments on plant growth and mutagenesis, (2)to evaluate plant germination and seedling growth under the effect of microgravity and light conditions and (3)to improve a child's scientific mind through the real-time observations of a seedling growth for two plants conducted both in space and on earth. This project was implemented?as one of the missions in the Korean Astronaut Program. Seeds of eleven plant species (rice, soybean, rape, radish, hot pepper, perilla, arabidopsis, orchids, dandelion, hibiscus, cosmos) was vacuum-sealed in aluminium bags. Those seeds was loaded in the 'Progress' spaceship in Feb. 2008, traveled in the 'Progress', placed in the Russian Sector-International Space Station (RS-ISS), and then was brought by the Korean astronaut from the RS-ISS, and handed over to us at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI). The germination rate, plant growth and mutation type/frequency of the returned plants are under testing in the lab and field in KAERI now. The first Korean astronaut, Dr. So-Yeon Yi, who had returned to earth on April 19, 2008 after successfully completing her scientific mission for 12 days in Space, performed the experiment of plant germination and seedling growth in the International Space Station (ISS), and a similarly designed experiment kit was distributed to conduct the experiment by student and adult volunteers in Korea at the same time. The experiment was to observe the effects of microgravity and light on a seedling growth for soybean and radish. We designed a growth kit that was an all-in-one package consisting of seeds (12 seeds in each chamber) and rock wool as a growing medium filled in four polycarbonate growing chambers in a light proof textile bag or carton paper. The bottom of the chamber was filled with a tightly-fitted rock wool which can hold water and provide moisture during a

Experiments on Growth and Variation of Spaceship Loaded Plant Seeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, S. Y.; Lee, G. J.; Kim, D. S.; Kim, J. B.

2008-08-01

This educational experiment was designed (1)to obtain the basic information on the effects of the space environments on plant growth and mutagenesis, (2)to evaluate plant germination and seedling growth under the effect of microgravity and light conditions and (3)to improve a child's scientific mind through the real-time observations of a seedling growth for two plants conducted both in space and on earth. This project was implemented?as one of the missions in the Korean Astronaut Program. Seeds of eleven plant species (rice, soybean, rape, radish, hot pepper, perilla, arabidopsis, orchids, dandelion, hibiscus, cosmos) was vacuum-sealed in aluminium bags. Those seeds was loaded in the 'Progress' spaceship in Feb. 2008, traveled in the 'Progress', placed in the Russian Sector-International Space Station (RS-ISS), and then was brought by the Korean astronaut from the RS-ISS, and handed over to us at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI). The germination rate, plant growth and mutation type/frequency of the returned plants are under testing in the lab and field in KAERI now. The first Korean astronaut, Dr. So-Yeon Yi, who had returned to earth on April 19, 2008 after successfully completing her scientific mission for 12 days in Space, performed the experiment of plant germination and seedling growth in the International Space Station (ISS), and a similarly designed experiment kit was distributed to conduct the experiment by student and adult volunteers in Korea at the same time. The experiment was to observe the effects of microgravity and light on a seedling growth for soybean and radish. We designed a growth kit that was an all-in-one package consisting of seeds (12 seeds in each chamber) and rock wool as a growing medium filled in four polycarbonate growing chambers in a light proof textile bag or carton paper. The bottom of the chamber was filled with a tightly-fitted rock wool which can hold water and provide moisture during a seedling growth. The

The microbiome of medicinal plants: diversity and importance for plant growth, quality and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Köberl, Martina; Schmidt, Ruth; Ramadan, Elshahat M; Bauer, Rudolf; Berg, Gabriele

2013-12-20

Past medicinal plant research primarily focused on bioactive phytochemicals, however, the focus is currently shifting due to the recognition that a significant number of phytotherapeutic compounds are actually produced by associated microbes or through interaction with their host. Medicinal plants provide an enormous bioresource of potential use in modern medicine and agriculture, yet their microbiome is largely unknown. The objective of this review is (i) to introduce novel insights into the plant microbiome with a focus on medicinal plants, (ii) to provide details about plant- and microbe-derived ingredients of medicinal plants, and (iii) to discuss possibilities for plant growth promotion and plant protection for commercial cultivation of medicinal plants. In addition, we also present a case study performed both to analyse the microbiome of three medicinal plants (Matricaria chamomilla L., Calendula officinalis L., and Solanum distichum Schumach. and Thonn.) cultivated on organically managed Egyptian desert farm and to develop biological control strategies. The soil microbiome of the desert ecosystem was comprised of a high abundance of Gram-positive bacteria of prime importance for pathogen suppression under arid soil conditions. For all three plants, we observed a clearly plant-specific selection of the microbes as well as highly specific diazotrophic communities that overall identify plant species as important drivers in structural and functional diversity. Lastly, native Bacillus spec. div. strains were able to promote plant growth and elevate the plants' flavonoid production. These results underline the numerous links between the plant-associated microbiome and the plant metabolome.

Condition monitoring and maintenance of nuclear power plant concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orr, R.; Prasad, N.

1988-01-01

Nuclear power plant concrete structures are potentially subject to deterioration due to several environmental conditions, including weather exposure, ground water exposure, and sustained high temperature and radiation levels. The nuclear power plant are generally licensed for a term of 40 years. In order to maximize the return from the existing plants, feasibility studies are in progress for continued operation of many of these plants beyond the original licensed life span. This paper describes a study that was performed with an objective to define appropriate condition monitoring and maintenance procedures. A timely implementation of a condition monitoring and maintenance program would provide a valuable database and would provide justification for extension of the plant's design life. The study included concrete structures such as the containment buildings, interior structures, basemats, intake structures and cooling towers. Age-related deterioration at several operating power plants was surveyed and the potential degradation mechanisms have been identified

Environment monitoring and residents health condition monitoring of nuclear power plant Bohunice region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Letkovicova, M.; Rehak, R.; Stehlikova, B.; Celko, M.; Hraska, S.; Klocok, L.; Kostial, J.; Prikazsky, V.; Vidovic, J.; Zirko, M.; Beno, T.; Mitosinka, J.

1998-01-01

The report contents final environment evaluation and selected characteristic of residents health physics of nuclear power plant Bohunice region. Evaluated data were elaborated during analytical period 1993-1997.Task solving which results are documented in this final report was going on between 1996- 1998. The report deals in individual stages with the following: Information obtaining and completing which characterize demographic situation of the area for the 1993-1997 period; Datum obtaining and completing which contain selected health physics characteristics of the area residents; Database structures for individual data archiving from monitoring and collection; Brief description of geographic information system for graphic presentation of evaluation results based on topographic base; Digital mapping structure description; Results and evaluation of radionuclide monitoring in environment performed by Environmental radiation measurements laboratory by the nuclear power plant Bohunice for the 1993-1997 period. Demographic situation evaluation and selected health physics characteristics of the area of nuclear power plant residents for the 1993-1997 period are summarized in the final part of the document. Monitoring results and their evaluation is processed in graph, table, text description and map output forms. Map outputs are processed in the geographic information system Arc View GIS 3.0a environment

Trickle water and feeding system in plant culture and light-dark cycle effects on plant growth

Science.gov (United States)

Takano, T.; Inada, K.; Takanashi, J.

1987-01-01

Rockwool, as an inert medium covered or bagged with polyethylene film, can be effectively used for plant culture in space stations. The most important machine is the pump adjusting the dripping rate in the feeding system. Hydro-aeroponics may be adaptable to a space laboratory. The shortening of the light-dark cycles inhibits plant growth and induces an abnormal morphogenesis. A photoperiod of 12 hr dark may be needed for plant growth.

Hyperspectral monitoring of chemically sensitive plant sentinels

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, Danielle A.; Kerekes, John P.; Raqueno, Nina G.

2009-08-01

Automated detection of chemical threats is essential for an early warning of a potential attack. Harnessing plants as bio-sensors allows for distributed sensing without a power supply. Monitoring the bio-sensors requires a specifically tailored hyperspectral system. Tobacco plants have been genetically engineered to de-green when a material of interest (e.g. zinc, TNT) is introduced to their immediate vicinity. The reflectance spectra of the bio-sensors must be accurately characterized during the de-greening process for them to play a role in an effective warning system. Hyperspectral data have been collected under laboratory conditions to determine the key regions in the reflectance spectra associated with the degreening phenomenon. Bio-sensor plants and control (nongenetically engineered) plants were exposed to TNT over the course of two days and their spectra were measured every six hours. Rochester Institute of Technologys Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation Model (DIRSIG) was used to simulate detection of de-greened plants in the field. The simulated scene contains a brick school building, sidewalks, trees and the bio-sensors placed at the entrances to the buildings. Trade studies of the bio-sensor monitoring system were also conducted using DIRSIG simulations. System performance was studied as a function of field of view, pixel size, illumination conditions, radiometric noise, spectral waveband dependence and spectral resolution. Preliminary results show that the most significant change in reflectance during the degreening period occurs in the near infrared region.

Colonization of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on Two Different Root Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhry, M. Z.; Naz, A. U.; Nawaz, A.; Nawaz, A.; Mukhtar, H.

2016-01-01

Phytohormones producing bacteria enhance the plants growth by positively affecting growth of the root. Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) must colonize the plant roots to contribute to the plant's endogenous pool of phytohormones. Colonization of these plant growth promoting rhizobacteria isolated from rhizosplane and soil of different crops was evaluated on different root types to establish if the mechanism of host specificity exist. The bacteria were isolated from maize, wheat, rice, canola and cotton and phytohormone production was detected and quantified by HPLC. Bacteria were inoculated on surface sterilized seeds of different crops and seeds were germinated. After 7 days the bacteria were re-isolated from the roots and the effect of these bacteria was observed by measuring increase in root length. Bacteria isolated from one plant family (monocots) having fibrous root performed well on similar root system and failed to give significant results on other roots (tap root) of dicots. Some aggressive strains were able to colonize both root systems. The plant growth promoting activities of the bacteria were optimum on the same plant from whom roots they were isolated. The results suggest that bacteria adapt to the root they naturally inhabit and colonize the same plant root systems preferably. Although the observe trend indicate host specificity but some bacteria were aggressive colonizers which grew on all the plants used in experiment. (author)

MONITORING ON PLANT LEAF WATER POTENTIAL USING NIR SPECTROSCOPY FOR WATER STRESS MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diding Suhandy

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The performance of the calibration model with temperature compensation for on-plant leaf water potential (LWP determination in tomato plants was evaluated. During a cycle of water stress, the on-plant LWP measurement was conducted. The result showed that the LWP values under water stress and recovery from water stress could be monitored well. It showed that a real time monitoring of the LWP values using NIR spectroscopy could be possible.   Keywords: water stress, real time monitoring of leaf water potential, NIR spectroscopy, plant response-based

Nutrient leaching when soil is part of plant growth media

Science.gov (United States)

Soils can serve as sorbents for phosphorus (P) within plant growth media, negating the need for artificial sorbents. The purpose of this study was to compare soils with different properties, as part of plant growth media, for their effect on nutrient levels in effluent. Four soils were mixed with sa...

Influence of integrated phosphorus supply and plant growth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To guarantee a sufficient phosphorus supply for plants, a rapid and permanent mobilization of phosphorus from the labile phosphorus fractions is necessary, because phosphorus concentrations in soil solution are generally low. Several plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have shown potential to enhance ...

Priority target conditions for algorithms for monitoring children's growth: Interdisciplinary consensus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pauline Scherdel

Full Text Available Growth monitoring of apparently healthy children aims at early detection of serious conditions through the use of both clinical expertise and algorithms that define abnormal growth. Optimization of growth monitoring requires standardization of the definition of abnormal growth, and the selection of the priority target conditions is a prerequisite of such standardization.To obtain a consensus about the priority target conditions for algorithms monitoring children's growth.We applied a formal consensus method with a modified version of the RAND/UCLA method, based on three phases (preparatory, literature review, and rating, with the participation of expert advisory groups from the relevant professional medical societies (ranging from primary care providers to hospital subspecialists as well as parent associations. We asked experts in the pilot (n = 11, reading (n = 8 and rating (n = 60 groups to complete the list of diagnostic classification of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and then to select the conditions meeting the four predefined criteria of an ideal type of priority target condition.Strong agreement was obtained for the 8 conditions selected by the experts among the 133 possible: celiac disease, Crohn disease, craniopharyngioma, juvenile nephronophthisis, Turner syndrome, growth hormone deficiency with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome, infantile cystinosis, and hypothalamic-optochiasmatic astrocytoma (in decreasing order of agreement.This national consensus can be used to evaluate the algorithms currently suggested for growth monitoring. The method used for this national consensus could be re-used to obtain an international consensus.

Pinellas Plant environmental monitoring report 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-04-01

The effluent and environmental monitoring programs maintained by the Pinellas Plant are designed to determine the efficiencies of treatment and control mechanisms for environmental releases; to provide measurements of discharge concentrations for comparison with applicable standards; and to assess the concentrations of these discharges in the on-site and off-site environment

Pectin Methylesterification Impacts the Relationship between Photosynthesis and Plant Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

M Weraduwage, Sarathi; Kim, Sang-Jin; Renna, Luciana; C Anozie, Fransisca; D Sharkey, Thomas; Brandizzi, Federica

2016-06-01

Photosynthesis occurs in mesophyll cells of specialized organs such as leaves. The rigid cell wall encapsulating photosynthetic cells controls the expansion and distribution of cells within photosynthetic tissues. The relationship between photosynthesis and plant growth is affected by leaf area. However, the underlying genetic mechanisms affecting carbon partitioning to different aspects of leaf growth are not known. To fill this gap, we analyzed Arabidopsis plants with altered levels of pectin methylesterification, which is known to modulate cell wall plasticity and plant growth. Pectin methylesterification levels were varied through manipulation of cotton Golgi-related (CGR) 2 or 3 genes encoding two functionally redundant pectin methyltransferases. Increased levels of methylesterification in a line over-expressing CGR2 (CGR2OX) resulted in highly expanded leaves with enhanced intercellular air spaces; reduced methylesterification in a mutant lacking both CGR-genes 2 and 3 (cgr2/3) resulted in thin but dense leaf mesophyll that limited CO2 diffusion to chloroplasts. Leaf, root, and plant dry weight were enhanced in CGR2OX but decreased in cgr2/3. Differences in growth between wild type and the CGR-mutants can be explained by carbon partitioning but not by variations in area-based photosynthesis. Therefore, photosynthesis drives growth through alterations in carbon partitioning to new leaf area growth and leaf mass per unit leaf area; however, CGR-mediated pectin methylesterification acts as a primary factor in this relationship through modulation of the expansion and positioning of the cells in leaves, which in turn drive carbon partitioning by generating dynamic carbon demands in leaf area growth and leaf mass per unit leaf area. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Materials and methods to increase plant growth and yield

Science.gov (United States)

Kirst, Matias

2017-05-16

The present invention relates to materials and methods for modulating growth rates, yield, and/or resistance to drought conditions in plants. In one embodiment, a method of the invention comprises increasing expression of an hc1 gene (or a homolog thereof that provides for substantially the same activity), or increasing expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene thereof, in a plant, wherein expression of the hc1 gene or expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene results in increased growth rate, yield, and/or drought resistance in the plant.

Solid-support substrates for plant growth at a lunar base

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, D. W.; Galindo, C.; Henninger, D. L.

1990-01-01

Zeoponics is only in its developmental stages at the Johnson Space Center and is defined as the cultivation of plants in zeolite substrates that contain several essential plant growth cations on their exchange sites, and have minor amounts of mineral phases and/or anion-exchange resins that supply essential plant growth anions. Zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicates of alkali and alkaline earth cations with the ability to exchange most of their constituent exchange cations as well as hydrate/dehydrate without change to their structural framework. Because zeolites have extremely high cation exchange capabilities, they are very attractive media for plant growth. It is possible to partially or fully saturate plant-essential cations on zeolites. Zeoponic systems will probably have their greatest applications at planetary bases (e.g., lunar bases). Lunar raw materials will have to be located that are suited for the synthesis of zeolites and other exchange resings. Lunar 'soil' simulants have been or are being prepared for zeolite/smectite synthesis and 'soil' dissolution studies.

Resilient monitoring systems: architecture, design, and application to boiler/turbine plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Humberto E; Lin, Wen-Chiao; Meerkov, Semyon M; Ravichandran, Maruthi T

2014-11-01

Resilient monitoring systems, considered in this paper, are sensor networks that degrade gracefully under malicious attacks on their sensors, causing them to project misleading information. The goal of this paper is to design, analyze, and evaluate the performance of a resilient monitoring system intended to monitor plant conditions (normal or anomalous). The architecture developed consists of four layers: data quality assessment, process variable assessment, plant condition assessment, and sensor network adaptation. Each of these layers is analyzed by either analytical or numerical tools. The performance of the overall system is evaluated using a simplified boiler/turbine plant. The measure of resiliency is quantified based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence and shown to be sufficiently high in all scenarios considered.

Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis for responsiveness to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wintermans, Paul C A; Bakker, Peter A H M; Pieterse, Corné M J

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r stimulates lateral root formation and increases shoot growth in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). These plant growth-stimulating effects are partly caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the bacterium.

Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis for responsiveness to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wintermans, P.C.A.; Bakker, P.A.H.M.; Pieterse, C.M.J.

2016-01-01

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r stimulates lateral root formation and increases shoot growth in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). These plant growth-stimulating effects are partly caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the bacterium.

Phosphorus mobilizing consortium Mammoth P™ enhances plant growth

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Colin; Mancini, Lauren M.; Lee, Melanie N.; Conant, Richard T.; Wallenstein, Matthew D.

2016-01-01

Phosphorus (P) is a critical nutrient used to maximize plant growth and yield. Current agriculture management practices commonly experience low plant P use efficiency due to natural chemical sorption and transformations when P fertilizer is applied to soils. A perplexing challenge facing agriculture production is finding sustainable solutions to deliver P more efficiently to plants. Using prescribed applications of specific soil microbial assemblages to mobilize soil bound—P to improve crop nutrient uptake and productivity has rarely been employed. We investigated whether inoculation of soils with a bacterial consortium developed to mobilize soil P, named Mammoth PTM, could increase plant productivity. In turf, herbs, and fruits, the combination of conventional inorganic fertilizer combined with Mammoth PTM increased productivity up to twofold compared to the fertilizer treatments without the Mammoth PTM inoculant. Jalapeño plants were found to bloom more rapidly when treated with either Mammoth P. In wheat trials, we found that Mammoth PTM by itself was able to deliver yields equivalent to those achieved with conventional inorganic fertilizer applications and improved productivity more than another biostimulant product. Results from this study indicate the substantial potential of Mammoth PTM to enhance plant growth and crop productivity. PMID:27326379

Diagnostic and monitoring systems in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wehling, H.J.; Jax, P.; Streicher, V.

1987-01-01

Monitoring systems are important for the availability of nuclear power plants. A survey is given about such systems designed and constructed by the Kraftwerk Union AG Erlangen (Federal Republic of Germany) in order to assure the mechanical integrity of reactor cooling systems. Three monitoring systems based on microprocessors are presented: KUES (acoustic detection of loose parts), SUES (vibration), and FAMOS (fatigue)

Microbiological monitoring in geothermal plants

Science.gov (United States)

Alawi, M.; Lerm, S.; Vetter, A.; Vieth, A.; Seibt, A.; Wolfgramm, M.; Würdemann, H.

2009-12-01

In times of increasing relevance of alternative energy resources the utilization of geothermal energy and subsurface energy storage gains importance and arouses increasing interest of scientists. The research project “AquiScreen” investigates the operational reliability of geothermally used groundwater systems under microbial, geochemical, mineralogical and petrological aspects. Microbiological analyses based on fluid and solid phases of geothermal systems are conducted to evaluate the impact of microbial populations on these systems. The presentation focuses on first results obtained from microbiological monitoring of geothermal plants located in two different regions of Germany: the North German Basin and the Molasse Basin in the southern part characterized by different salinities and temperatures. Fluid and filter samples taken during regular plant operation were investigated using genetic fingerprinting based on PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes to characterize the microbial biocenosis of the geothermal aquifer. Sequencing of dominant bands of the fingerprints and the subsequent comparison to 16S rRNA genes from public databases enables a correlation to metabolic classes and provides information about the biochemical processes in the deep biosphere. The genetic profiles revealed significant differences in microbiological community structures of geothermal aquifers investigated. Phylogenetic analyses indicate broad metabolical diversity adapted to the specific conditions in the aquifers. Additionally a high amount of so far uncultivated microorganisms was detected indicating very specific indigenous biocenosis. However, in all geothermal plants bacteria were detected despite of fluid temperatures from 45° to 120°C. The identified microorganisms are closely related to thermophilic and hyperthermophilic species detectable in hot wells and hot springs, like Thermus scotoductus and Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii, respectively. Halophilic species were detected in

How to improve plant efficiency through leading plant monitoring and control system technology-Almaraz NPP Samo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Rodriguez, A.; Schwee, S.M.

1994-01-01

The nuclear industry is currently faced with an intense pressure to reduce the cost of electric production. To achieve these cost reductions, utilities are changing the way they have traditionally operated. They are embracing innovative processes and systems to fundamentally change the way they have operated and maintained their plants. Plant monitoring and control technology has been instrumental in affecting these rapid and proactive changes. Our challenge is to use these new technologies in ways that improve plant reliability while lowering operation and maintenance costs. What must we do to increase operational time, improve safety and reliability while reducing all costs including fixed as well as labor? We will discuss an overall plant monitoring system vision that will allow these changes in operational practices. (Author)

Wound-induced endogenous jasmonates stunt plant growth by inhibiting mitosis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Zhang

Full Text Available When plants are repeatedly injured their growth is stunted and the size of organs such as leaves is greatly reduced. The basis of this effect is not well-understood however, even though it reduces yield of crops injured by herbivory, and produces dramatic effects exemplified in ornamental bonsai plants. We have investigated the genetic and physiological basis of this "bonsai effect" by repeatedly wounding leaves of the model plant Arabidopsis. This treatment stunted growth by 50% and increased the endogenous content of jasmonate (JA, a growth inhibitor, by seven-fold. Significantly, repeated wounding did not stunt the growth of the leaves of mutants unable to synthesise JA, or unable to respond to JA including coi1, jai3, myc2, but not jar1. The stunted growth did not result from reduced cell size, but resulted instead from reduced cell number, and was associated with reduced expression of CycB1;2. Wounding caused systemic disappearance of constitutively expressed JAZ1::GUS. Wounding also activates plant immunity. We show that a gene, 12-oxo-phytodienoate reductase, which catalyses a step in JA biosynthesis, and which we confirm is not required for defence, is however required for wound-induced stunting. Our data suggest that intermediates in the JA biosynthetic pathway activate defence, but a primary function of wound-induced JA is to stunt growth through the suppression of mitosis.

Wound-induced endogenous jasmonates stunt plant growth by inhibiting mitosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yi; Turner, John G

2008-01-01

When plants are repeatedly injured their growth is stunted and the size of organs such as leaves is greatly reduced. The basis of this effect is not well-understood however, even though it reduces yield of crops injured by herbivory, and produces dramatic effects exemplified in ornamental bonsai plants. We have investigated the genetic and physiological basis of this "bonsai effect" by repeatedly wounding leaves of the model plant Arabidopsis. This treatment stunted growth by 50% and increased the endogenous content of jasmonate (JA), a growth inhibitor, by seven-fold. Significantly, repeated wounding did not stunt the growth of the leaves of mutants unable to synthesise JA, or unable to respond to JA including coi1, jai3, myc2, but not jar1. The stunted growth did not result from reduced cell size, but resulted instead from reduced cell number, and was associated with reduced expression of CycB1;2. Wounding caused systemic disappearance of constitutively expressed JAZ1::GUS. Wounding also activates plant immunity. We show that a gene, 12-oxo-phytodienoate reductase, which catalyses a step in JA biosynthesis, and which we confirm is not required for defence, is however required for wound-induced stunting. Our data suggest that intermediates in the JA biosynthetic pathway activate defence, but a primary function of wound-induced JA is to stunt growth through the suppression of mitosis.

Marine monitoring surveys for desalination plants-A critical review

KAUST Repository

Lattemann, Sabine

2013-01-01

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies are standard practice and a regulatory requirement for most new desalination projects today. However, most of the EIA studies are limited to predictive information; that is, they gather information on the project and the project\\'s environment before project implementation to make predictions about likely impacts. The EIAs may involve comprehensive studies, such as field monitoring, laboratory toxicity testing, and modeling studies. Consequently, the"surprising paucity of useful experimental data, either from laboratory tests or from field monitoring studies", which was observed by the US National Research Council in 2008, has been gradually decreasing. However, there is still a long-term research need on the site-specific effects of desalination plants after project commissioning has taken place. A main challenge of field research is the adequate design of the monitoring studies, which have to adequately distinguish the effects of the desalination project from natural processes over long periods of time. The existing monitoring studies have so far used a wide range of approaches and methods to investigate the environmental impacts of desalination plant discharges. Shortfalls are often that they are limited in scope, short-term, or localized. In essence, many studies fall short of recognizing the potentially synergetic effects of the single waste components of the discharges on marine organisms and the complexity of the potential responses by the ecosystem. While the possible risk of damage arising from the concentrate discharge to the marine environment in close proximity to the outfall is at hand, no conclusive evidence can yet be provided concerning the long-term impacts of desalination plant discharges, let alone the cumulative impacts on certain sea areas. This paper conducts a critical review of existing monitoring programs for desalination plants. Shortcomings of current practices are identified and relevant

Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, S.M.; Brandt, C.C.; Christensen, S.W.; Greeley, M.S.JR.; Hill, W.R.; Peterson, M.J.; Ryon, M.G.; Smith, J.G.; Southworth, G.R.; Stewart, A.J.

2000-09-01

The revised Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) for East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, as described, will be conducted as required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued for the Y-12 Plant on April 28, 1995 and became effective July 1, 1995. The basic approach to biological monitoring used in this program was developed by the staff in the Environmental Science Division (ESD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) at the request of the Y-12 Plant. The revision to the BMAP plan is based on results of biological monitoring conducted during the period of 1985 to present. Details of the specific procedures used in the current routine monitoring program are provided; experimental designs for future studies are described in less detail. The overall strategy used in developing this plan was, and continues to be, to use the results obtained from each task to define the scope of future monitoring efforts. Such efforts may require more intensive sampling than initially proposed in some areas (e.g., additional bioaccumulation monitoring if results indicate unexpectedly high PCBs or Hg) or a reduction in sampling intensity in others (e.g., reduction in the number of sampling sites when no impact is still observed). The program scope will be re-evaluated annually. By using the results of previous monitoring efforts to define the current program and to guide us in the development of future studies, an effective integrated monitoring program has been developed to assess the impacts of Y-12 Plant operations (past and present) on the biota of EFPC and to document the ecological effects of remedial actions.

Plant growth promoting potential of endophytic bacteria isolated ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Endophytic microorganisms are able to promote plant growth through various mechanisms, such as production of plant hormones and antimicrobial substances, as well as to provide the soil with nutrients, for instance, inorganic phosphate. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of endophytic bacteria isolated from ...

Stripping Away the Soil : Plant Growth Promoting Microbiology Opportunities in Aquaponics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bartelme, Ryan P; Oyserman, Ben O; Blom, Jesse E; Sepulveda-Villet, Osvaldo J; Newton, Ryan J

2018-01-01

As the processes facilitated by plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) become better characterized, it is evident that PGPMs may be critical for successful sustainable agricultural practices. Microbes enrich plant growth through various mechanisms, such as enhancing resistance to disease and

The microbiome of medicinal plants: diversity and importance for plant growth, quality and health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina eKöberl

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Past medicinal plant research primarily focused on bioactive phytochemicals, however the focus is currently shifting due to the recognition that a significant number of phytotherapeutic compounds are actually produced by associated microbes or through interaction with their host. Medicinal plants provide an enormous bioresource of potential use in modern medicine and agriculture, yet their microbiome is largely unknown. The objective of this review is i to introduce novel insights into the plant microbiome with a focus on medicinal plants, ii to provide details about plant- and microbe-derived ingredients of medicinal plants, and iii to discuss possibilities for plant growth promotion and plant protection for commercial cultivation of medicinal plants. In addition, we also present a case study performed both to analyse the microbiome of three medicinal plants (Matricaria chamomilla L., Calendula officinalis L. and Solanum distichum Schumach. and Thonn. cultivated on organically managed Egyptian desert farm and to develop biological control strategies. The soil microbiome of the desert ecosystem was comprised of a high abundance of Gram-positive bacteria of prime importance for pathogen suppression under arid soil conditions. For all three plants, we observed a clearly plant-specific selection of the microbes as well as highly specific diazotrophic communities that overall identify plant species as important drivers in structural and functional diversity. Lastly, native Bacillus spec. div. strains were able to promote plant growth and elevate the plants’ flavonoid production. These results underline the numerous links between the plant-associated microbiome and the plant metabolome.

Communications interface for plant monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K.L.; Morgan, F.A.

1988-01-01

This paper presents the communications interface for an intelligent color graphic system which PSE and G developed as part of a plant monitoring system. The intelligent graphic system is designed to off-load traditional host functions such as dynamic graphic updates, keyboard handling and alarm display. The distributed system's data and synchronization problems and their solutions are discussed

Effects of air pollution on plant growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bleasadle, J K.A.

1959-01-01

The environment for plant growth is affected in three ways by the presence of coal smoke (1) by a reduction in the amount of light available to the plants, (2) by an alteration in soil conditions, and (3) by the contamination of the air by foreign gases. The smoke haze in or near industrial areas reduced the light available to plants for photosynthesis, thus reducing their growth rate. The tarry deposit on leaves further reduced the light available to the plant, and lowered the assimilation rate. It was generally thought that rain falling in or near industrial areas dissolved the predominantly acidic polluting gases from the air and leached bases from the soil. Rainwater collected showed a reduced number of soil bacteria, resulting in a reduction in the availability of plant nutrients. The most common and abundant gaseous pollutant in Britain was sulfur dioxide formed from the sulfur contained in coal. Concentrations of 0.5 parts per million induced symptoms of leaf scorch in many species. Results showed the yield of Aberystwyth 523 ryegrass was reduced when plants were grown continuously in air polluted with coal smoke. This affected the processes involving cell division. Coal smoke and sulfur also increased the rate of leaf senescence. This rate increased as the concentration of sulfur dioxide increased, or as the length of exposure per day to a standard concentration was increased. The leaves of evergreen trees and shrubs also aged more rapidly in conditions of pollution. 14 references.

Isolation and identification of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria from maize (Zea mays L. rhizosphere and their plant growth promoting effect on rice (Oryza sativa L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karnwal Arun

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria is increasing in agriculture and gives an appealing manner to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and dietary supplements. The objective of our research was to access the plant growth promotion traits of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis isolated from the maize (Zea mays L. rhizosphere. In vitro studies showed that isolates have the potential to produce indole acetic acid (IAA, hydrogen cyanide, phosphate solubilisation, and siderophore. RNA analysis revealed that two isolates were 97% identical to P. aeruginosa strain DSM 50071 and P. aeruginosa strain NBRC 12689 (AK20 and AK31, while two others were 98% identical to P. fluorescens strain ATCC 13525, P. fluorescens strain IAM 12022 (AK18 and AK45 and one other was 99% identical to B. subtilis strain NCDO 1769 (AK38. Our gnotobiotic study showed significant differences in plant growth variables under control and inoculated conditions. In the present research, it was observed that the isolated strains had good plant growth promoting effects on rice.

Use of simulators for validation of advanced plant monitoring systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uytterhoeven, G.; Vlaminck, M. De [Belgatom, Brussels (Belgium); Javaux, D. [Cognitive Ergonomics Work-Psychology Department, University of Liege, Sart-Tilman (Belgium)

1999-07-01

This paper describes how the full-scope nuclear power plant simulator of Doel (Belgium) was used to assess Situation Awareness for the validation of a process monitoring and supervision system, named DIMOS. The method (derived from a method originally developed for the aerospace industry) has been adapted and applied to compare the efficiency of two versions of the monitoring system: Alarm-masking and non alarm-masking versions of DIMOS have been analysed in their ability to support Situation Awareness, to improve performance and to fulfil the satisfaction of operators. Both normal power plant operating conditions and abnormal operating conditions were simulated and a large number of power plant operators were involved in the evaluation. The paper focuses on the rationale behind the 'Situation Awareness' evaluation, the experiment environment and the results regarding the added value of the alarm masking version of the monitoring system. (author)

Use of simulators for validation of advanced plant monitoring systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uytterhoeven, G.; Vlaminck, M. De; Javaux, D.

1999-01-01

This paper describes how the full-scope nuclear power plant simulator of Doel (Belgium) was used to assess Situation Awareness for the validation of a process monitoring and supervision system, named DIMOS. The method (derived from a method originally developed for the aerospace industry) has been adapted and applied to compare the efficiency of two versions of the monitoring system: Alarm-masking and non alarm-masking versions of DIMOS have been analysed in their ability to support Situation Awareness, to improve performance and to fulfil the satisfaction of operators. Both normal power plant operating conditions and abnormal operating conditions were simulated and a large number of power plant operators were involved in the evaluation. The paper focuses on the rationale behind the 'Situation Awareness' evaluation, the experiment environment and the results regarding the added value of the alarm masking version of the monitoring system. (author)

deaminase from plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in Striga

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Experiments were conducted in pots to determine the growth effect of different rhizobacteria on maize under Striga hermonthica infestation. Three bacteria were selected based on their plant growth promoting effects. Whole bacterial cells of the rhizobacteria were used to amplify 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid ...

ChemAND - a system health monitor for plant chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, C.W.; Mitchel, G.R.; Tosello, G.; Balakrishnan, P.V.; McKay, G.; Thompson, M. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada); Dundar, Y.; Bergeron, M.; Laporte, R. [Hydro-Quebec, Groupe Chimie, Centrale Nucleaire Gentilly-2, Gentilly, Quebec (Canada)

2001-03-01

Effective management of plant systems throughout their lifetime requires much more than data acquisition and display - it requires that the plant's system health be continually monitored and managed. AECL has developed a System Health Monitor called ChemAND for CANDU plant chemistry. ChemAND, a Chemistry ANalysis and Diagnostic system, monitors key chemistry parameters in the heat transport system, moderator-cover gas, annulus gas, and the steam cycle during full-power operation. These parameters can be used as inputs to models that calculate the effect of current plant operating conditions on the present and future health of the system. Chemistry data from each of the systems are extracted on a regular basis from the plant's Historical Data Server and are sorted according to function, e.g., indicators for condenser in-leakage, air in-leakage, heavy water leakage into the annulus gas, fuel failure, etc. Each parameter is conveniently displayed and is trended along with its alarm limits. ChemAND currently includes two analytical models developed for the balance-of-plant. The first model, ChemSolv, calculates crevice chemistry conditions in the steam generator (SG) from either the SG blowdown chemistry conditions or from a simulated condenser leak. This information can be used by plant staff to evaluate the susceptibility of the SG tubes to crevice corrosion. ChemSolv also calculates chemistry conditions throughout the steam-cycle system as determined by the transport of volatile species such as ammonia, hydrazine, morpholine, and oxygen. The second model, SLUDGE, calculates the deposit loading and distribution in the SG as a function of time, based on concentrations of corrosion product in the final feedwater for both normal and start-up conditions. Operations personnel can use this information to predict where to inspect and when to clean. (author)

ChemAND - a system health monitor for plant chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, C.W.; Mitchell, G.R.; Tosello, G.; Balakrishnan, P.V.; McKay, G.; Thompson, M.; Dundar, Y.; Bergeron, M.; Laporte, R.

2001-01-01

Effective management of plant systems throughout their lifetime requires much more than data acquisition and display-it requires that the plant's system health be continually monitored and managed. AECL has developed a System Health Monitor called ChemAND for CANDU plant chemistry. ChemAND, a Chemistry ANalysis and Diagnostic system, monitors key chemistry parameters in the heat transport system, moderator-cover gas, annulus gas, and the steam cycle during full-power operation. These parameters can be used as inputs to models that calculate the effect of current plant operating conditions on the present and future health of the system. Chemistry data from each of the systems are extracted on a regular basis from the plant's Historical Data Server and are sorted according to function, e.g., indicators for condenser in-leakage, air in-leakage, heavy water leakage into the annulus gas, fuel failure, etc. Each parameter is conveniently displayed and is trended along with its alarm limits. ChemAND currently includes two analytical models developed for the balance-of-plant. The first model, ChemSolv, calculates crevice chemistry conditions in the steam generator (SG) from either the SG blowdown chemistry conditions or from a simulated condenser leak. This information can be used by plant staff to evaluate the susceptibility of the SG tubes to crevice corrosion. ChemSolv also calculates chemistry conditions throughout the steam cycle system, as determined by the transport of volatile species such as ammonia, hydrazine, morpholine, and oxygen. The second model, SLUDGE, calculates the deposit loading and distribution in the SG as a function of time, based on concentrations of corrosion product in the final feedwater for both normal and start-up conditions. Operations personnel can use this information to predict where to inspect and when to clean. (author)

ChemAND - a system health monitor for plant chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, C.W.; Mitchel, G.R.; Tosello, G.; Balakrishnan, P.V.; McKay, G.; Thompson, M.; Dundar, Y.; Bergeron, M.; Laporte, R.

2001-03-01

Effective management of plant systems throughout their lifetime requires much more than data acquisition and display - it requires that the plant's system health be continually monitored and managed. AECL has developed a System Health Monitor called ChemAND for CANDU plant chemistry. ChemAND, a Chemistry ANalysis and Diagnostic system, monitors key chemistry parameters in the heat transport system, moderator-cover gas, annulus gas, and the steam cycle during full-power operation. These parameters can be used as inputs to models that calculate the effect of current plant operating conditions on the present and future health of the system. Chemistry data from each of the systems are extracted on a regular basis from the plant's Historical Data Server and are sorted according to function, e.g., indicators for condenser in-leakage, air in-leakage, heavy water leakage into the annulus gas, fuel failure, etc. Each parameter is conveniently displayed and is trended along with its alarm limits. ChemAND currently includes two analytical models developed for the balance-of-plant. The first model, ChemSolv, calculates crevice chemistry conditions in the steam generator (SG) from either the SG blowdown chemistry conditions or from a simulated condenser leak. This information can be used by plant staff to evaluate the susceptibility of the SG tubes to crevice corrosion. ChemSolv also calculates chemistry conditions throughout the steam-cycle system as determined by the transport of volatile species such as ammonia, hydrazine, morpholine, and oxygen. The second model, SLUDGE, calculates the deposit loading and distribution in the SG as a function of time, based on concentrations of corrosion product in the final feedwater for both normal and start-up conditions. Operations personnel can use this information to predict where to inspect and when to clean. (author)

Environmental monitoring at the Forsmark nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandstroem, O.

1991-01-01

The use of cooling water at such large power plants as Forsmark creates a considerable hazard for fish in the intake area, as they may be transported into the plant and killed. Several millions of Baltic herring and three-spined stickleback are lost each year at the intake screens. A release of cooling water to an open sea area is generally considered as a minor environmental problem, a presumption so far not contradicated by the results from the monitoring studies at Forsmark. In the Biotest basin, however, where the exposure to heat is maximal, a long series of effects ultimately changing populations of plants, benthic animals and fish have been documented. One important conclusion after ten years of studies in a heated Biotest basin, is that ecosystem stability seems to need very long time to be established, if it ever will. The monitoring of radioactivity controls the quality of the fish as food but is also directed to select special species accumulating these elements, bladder wrack etc. At Forsmark only small amounts of radionuclides from the plant so far have been detected in the marine environment. (KAE)

Design of a particulate-monitoring network for the Y-12 plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hougland, E.S.; Oakes, T.W.; Underwood, J.N.

1982-01-01

An Air Quality Monitoring Network Design (AQMND) with multiple objectives is being developed for the Y-12 Plant production facilities. The objectives are: Y-12 facility surveillance; monitoring the transport of Y-12 generated airborne effluents towards either the Oak Ridge National Laboratory or the developed region of the City of Oak Ridge; and monitoring population exposure in residential areas close to the Y-12 Plant. A two step design process was carried out, using the Air Quality Monitor Network Design Model (AQMND) previously used for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory network. In the first step of the design we used existing air quality monitor locations, subjectively designated locations, and grid intersections as a set of potential monitor sites. The priority sites from the first step (modified to account for terrain and accessibility), and subjectively designated sites, were used as the potential monitor sites for the second step of the process which produced the final design recommendations for the monitor network

Settling and growth of D. polymorpha in the raw water circuits of the Cattenom nuclear power plant (Moselle, France)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreteau, J.C.; Khalanski, M.

1994-05-01

A''biological profile'' of the zebra mussels which are infesting certain circuits of the Cattenom nuclear power plant has been provided by data collected during a three-year measurement programme (1991-1993). The larval settlement periods and the growth of settled mussels were monitored. A simple mathematical model, which calculates the shell growth on the long term, was calibrated with the field data. It is based on three functions representing the effect of the initial size, water temperature and fool availability (plankton chlorophyll a). (authors). 13 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

Plant growth promoters and methods of using them

KAUST Repository

Al-Babili, Salim

2017-01-05

New plant growth regulators, including compounds and compositions, and methods of use including for promoting root growth. The compounds are carotenoid oxidation products, and a preferred example is 3-OH--β-apo-13-Carotenone. A method comprising promoting the growth of at least one plant with use of an effective amount of at least one composition comprising an effective amount of at least one compound which is represented by A-B-C, wherein B is a bivalent polyene moiety, A is a monovalent moiety linked to B by a six-membered carbon ring, wherein the ring has at least one substituent linked to the ring by an oxygen atom, and C is a monovalent moiety linked to B by a carbonyl group. Synergistic effects can be used with combinations of compounds.

Plant growth and laboratory atmosphere. [Phaseolus multiflorus Willd

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richter, O

1903-01-01

The author observed that Phaseolus seedlings grown under glass bell jars which were closed off by water were two or three times as long as those seedlings which were grown under jars without the water closure. It was suspected that coal gas or other impurities were causing these results. Thus, experiments were performed to determine if indeed coal gas was affecting plant growth. Results indicated that coal gas has an inhibiting effect on the growth and length of the seedlings, but it also promotes the growth in thickness. Shortening and thickening was proportional to the concentration of the coal gas and the time of exposure. Mercury vapors were found to produce similar differences in height and thickness of seedlings as coal gas, but they are at the same time lethal to the plants.

of Effect of different organic materials on plant growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

mehrnosh eskandari

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Using organic matter, such as, peat and vermicompost as soil amendment, increases aeration, water infiltration, water holding capacity and nutrients of soil . A greenhouse experiment was performed to study the effect of organic materials on plant growth characteristics, total biomass and grain weight of chickpea with four treatments; 1 Soil + 3% peat (PS, 2 Sterile soil + 3% peat (SPS, 3 Soil + vermicompost (1:6 (VCS, 4 control (C in a completely randomized design with four replications. The results showed that the maximum germination percentage, number of branch and number of pod per plant were observed in SPS treatment due to the avoidance of harmful microbial impacts. Plant height in this treatment reduced, whereas, no significant differences in total dry matter per plant and dry weight of chickpea per plant were observed compared to control. Plant growth consist of plant height, number of branch and number of pod per plant in vermicompost and soil + peat treatment reduced in the early stages probably because of plant - microbes interaction effects. Application of vermicompost increased fresh and dry weight, pod dry weight and single grain weight, probably due to more plant nutrient availability in this treatment when compared with other treatments.

Effect of plant growth regulators on callus induction and plant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations and combinations of growth regulators on callus induction and plant regeneration of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar Diamant. The tuber segments were used as explants and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium ...

Integrated Wireless Monitoring and Control System in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Desalination Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al Haji Ahmad

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The operational processes of the Reverse Osmosis (RO membrane desalination plants require continuous monitoring through the constant attendance of operators to ensure proper productivity and minimize downtime and prevent membrane failure. Therefore, the plant must be equipped with a control system that monitors and controls the operational variables. Monitoring and controlling the affecting parameters are critical to the evaluation of the performance of the desalination plant, which will help the operator find and resolve problems immediately. Therefore, this paper was aimed at developing an RO unit by utilizing a wireless sensor network (WSN system. Hence, an RO pilot plant with a feed capacity of 1.2 m3/h was utilized, commissioned, and tested in Kuwait to assess and verify the performance of the integrated WSN in RO membrane desalination system. The investigated system allowed the operators to remotely monitor the operational process of the RO system. The operational data were smoothly recorded and monitored. Furthermore, the technical problems were immediately determined, which reduced the time and effort in rectifying the technical problems relevant to the RO performance. The manpower requirements of such treatment system were dramatically reduced by about 50%. Based on a comparison between manual and wireless monitoring operational processes, the availability of the integrated RO unit with a wireless monitoring was increased by 10%

Health State Monitoring of Bladed Machinery with Crack Growth Detection in BFG Power Plant Using an Active Frequency Shift Spectral Correction Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weifang Sun

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Power generation using waste-gas is an effective and green way to reduce the emission of the harmful blast furnace gas (BFG in pig-iron producing industry. Condition monitoring of mechanical structures in the BFG power plant is of vital importance to guarantee their safety and efficient operations. In this paper, we describe the detection of crack growth of bladed machinery in the BFG power plant via vibration measurement combined with an enhanced spectral correction technique. This technique enables high-precision identification of amplitude, frequency, and phase information (the harmonic information belonging to deterministic harmonic components within the vibration signals. Rather than deriving all harmonic information using neighboring spectral bins in the fast Fourier transform spectrum, this proposed active frequency shift spectral correction method makes use of some interpolated Fourier spectral bins and has a better noise-resisting capacity. We demonstrate that the identified harmonic information via the proposed method is of suppressed numerical error when the same level of noises is presented in the vibration signal, even in comparison with a Hanning-window-based correction method. With the proposed method, we investigated vibration signals collected from a centrifugal compressor. Spectral information of harmonic tones, related to the fundamental working frequency of the centrifugal compressor, is corrected. The extracted spectral information indicates the ongoing development of an impeller blade crack that occurred in the centrifugal compressor. This method proves to be a promising alternative to identify blade cracks at early stages.

Health State Monitoring of Bladed Machinery with Crack Growth Detection in BFG Power Plant Using an Active Frequency Shift Spectral Correction Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Weifang; Yao, Bin; He, Yuchao; Chen, Binqiang; Zeng, Nianyin; He, Wangpeng

2017-08-09

Power generation using waste-gas is an effective and green way to reduce the emission of the harmful blast furnace gas (BFG) in pig-iron producing industry. Condition monitoring of mechanical structures in the BFG power plant is of vital importance to guarantee their safety and efficient operations. In this paper, we describe the detection of crack growth of bladed machinery in the BFG power plant via vibration measurement combined with an enhanced spectral correction technique. This technique enables high-precision identification of amplitude, frequency, and phase information (the harmonic information) belonging to deterministic harmonic components within the vibration signals. Rather than deriving all harmonic information using neighboring spectral bins in the fast Fourier transform spectrum, this proposed active frequency shift spectral correction method makes use of some interpolated Fourier spectral bins and has a better noise-resisting capacity. We demonstrate that the identified harmonic information via the proposed method is of suppressed numerical error when the same level of noises is presented in the vibration signal, even in comparison with a Hanning-window-based correction method. With the proposed method, we investigated vibration signals collected from a centrifugal compressor. Spectral information of harmonic tones, related to the fundamental working frequency of the centrifugal compressor, is corrected. The extracted spectral information indicates the ongoing development of an impeller blade crack that occurred in the centrifugal compressor. This method proves to be a promising alternative to identify blade cracks at early stages.

Environmental monitoring around nuclear power plants of EDF in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chretien, V.; Hemidy, P.Y.

2010-01-01

As part of the regulatory environmental monitoring around its nuclear power plants, EDF carries out every year more than 40.000 measurements. In addition EDF performs more precise radioecological surveys on all its sites. This monitoring shows the minor incidence of EDF's nuclear power plants on the environment and a general decrease of gamma emitters radionuclides in the environment. These results confirm the efforts lead by EDF to minimise its impacts on the environment, linked to an efficient waste management and demonstrate the good operating standards of its plants. On a qualitative viewpoint, significant efforts on both metrology and organization have lead to improved measurements capabilities, in order to achieve NF EN ISO/CEI 17025 standard compliance. More recently, a similar approach has been implemented with sampling methods. While today the level achieved in the number and quality of measurement complies with the objectives of the monitoring of the impact of the nuclear power plants on the environment, the results of this monitoring should be presented to the public with more pedagogy to give an adequate answer to their expectations. The new questions that will undoubtedly be raised by the recent availability of this information on the Internet should reinforce this dialogue and should also be the opportunity to improve the quality of our communication. (author)

Assessing the suitability of paste as a medium for plant growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Yongsheng; Sinclair, L.; Fung, Y.P.

1999-01-01

When a polymer is added to the tailings slurry in the extraction process in oil sands refining, it accelerates the release of water and forms a consolidated, dense material known as 'paste.' This material has a solids content of approximately 65% by weight, 30% of which is made up of fine particles. A study was initiated to explore the possibility of using paste as a plant growth medium in which the paste must hold water and nutrients for growth while allowing adequate water movement and aeration. To also attain a favorable soil structure, it was thought that amending the paste with an adequate amount of peat would improve its physical and chemical properties such as to render it a suitable soil environment for plant growth. The study was a growth chamber experiment in which the effects were assessed of peat amendments on seed germination, and a greenhouse experiment in which the growth of three selected plant species were determined, including highlander grass, jack pine, and trembling aspen. Paste has the potential to be modified into a suitable plant growth medium. Adding peat can greatly enhance seed germination, and seedling survival and growth. There seemed to be some improvement in plant performance as the amount of peat included increased from 5% to 10%. Increasing the amount of peat still further to 15% had at best marginal incremental effects. The optimum amount of peat amendment was around 10%. Of the three plant types tested, highlander grass performed the best on the paste material amended with peat, showing performance comparable to the control. Trembling aspen grew relatively well but the survival rate was low. If the seedlings survived the first few weeks, the potential for continued growth seemed good. Jack pine showed signs of stress such as needle damage, stunted growth and low survival rates and seemed unlikely to establish well even on the peat amended paste. 1 ref., 4 tabs., 2 figs

Laboratory study on influence of plant growth promoting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The influence of rhizobacteria on the growth and tolerance of Zea mays (maize) in a petroleum hydrocarbon (crude oil) impacted medium was investigated. This study evaluated the effect of inoculating maize seeds with plant growth promoting rhizobacterial strains in a crude oil impacted medium. The rhizobacterial strains ...

Online condition monitoring to enable extended operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Ryan Michael; Bond, Leonard John; Ramuhalli, Pradeep

2012-01-01

Safe, secure, and economic operation of nuclear power plants will remain of strategic significance. New and improved monitoring will likely have increased significance in the post-Fukushima world. Prior to Fukushima, many activities were already underway globally to facilitate operation of nuclear power plants beyond their initial licensing periods. Decisions to shut down a nuclear power plant are mostly driven by economic considerations. Online condition monitoring is a means to improve both the safety and economics of extending the operating lifetimes of nuclear power plants, enabling adoption of proactive aging management. With regard to active components (e.g., pumps, valves, motors, etc.), significant experience in other industries has been leveraged to build the science base to support adoption of online condition-based maintenance and proactive aging management in the nuclear industry. Many of the research needs are associated with enabling proactive management of aging in passive components (e.g., pipes, vessels, cables, containment structures, etc.). This paper provides an overview of online condition monitoring for the nuclear power industry with an emphasis on passive components. Following the overview, several technology/knowledge gaps are identified, which require addressing to facilitate widespread online condition monitoring of passive components. (author)

A detection method in living plant cells for rapidly monitoring the response of plants to exogenous lanthanum.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Mengzhu; Wang, Lihong; Yang, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

2018-08-30

The pollution of rare earth elements (REEs) in ecosystem is becoming more and more serious, so it is urgent to establish methods for monitoring the pollution of REEs. Monitoring environmental pollution via the response of plants to pollutants has become the most stable and accurate method compared with traditional methods, but scientists still need to find the primary response of plants to pollutants to improve the sensitivity and speed of this method. Based on the facts that the initiation of endocytosis is the primary cellular response of the plant leaf cells to REEs and the detection of endocytosis is complex and expensive, we constructed a detection method in living plant cells for rapidly monitoring the response of plants to exogenous lanthanum [La(III), a representative of REEs] by designing a new immuno-electrochemical method for detecting the content change in extracellular vitronectin-like protein (VN) that are closely related to endocytosis. Results showed that when 30 μM La(III) initiated a small amount of endocytosis, the content of extracellular VN increased by 5.46 times, but the structure and function of plasma membrane were not interfered by La(III); when 80 μM La(III) strongly initiated a large amount of endocytosis, the content of extracellular VN increased by 119 times, meanwhile, the structure and function of plasma membrane were damaged. In summary, the detection method can reflect the response of plants to La(III) via detecting the content change in extracellular VN, which provides an effective and convenient way to monitor the response of plants to exogenous REEs. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

New seismic array solution for earthquake observations and hydropower plant health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Antonovskaya, Galina N.; Kapustian, Natalya K.; Moshkunov, Alexander I.; Danilov, Alexey V.; Moshkunov, Konstantin A.

2017-09-01

We present the novel fusion of seismic safety monitoring data of the hydropower plant in Chirkey (Caucasus Mountains, Russia). This includes new hardware solutions and observation methods, along with technical limitations for three types of applications: (a) seismic monitoring of the Chirkey reservoir area, (b) structure monitoring of the dam, and (c) monitoring of turbine vibrations. Previous observations and data processing for health monitoring do not include complex data analysis, while the new system is more rational and less expensive. The key new feature of the new system is remote monitoring of turbine vibration. A comparison of the data obtained at the test facilities and by hydropower plant inspection with remote sensors enables early detection of hazardous hydrodynamic phenomena.

Plant-mediated restriction of Salmonella enterica on tomato and spinach leaves colonized with Pseudomonas plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Chiun-Kang; Micallef, Shirley A

2017-10-16

Reducing Salmonella enterica association with plants during crop production could reduce risks of fresh produce-borne salmonellosis. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) colonizing plant roots are capable of promoting plant growth and boosting resistance to disease, but the effects of PGPR on human pathogen-plant associations are not known. Two root-colonizing Pseudomonas strains S2 and S4 were investigated in spinach, lettuce and tomato for their plant growth-promoting properties and their influence on leaf populations of S. enterica serovar Newport. Plant roots were inoculated with Pseudomonas in the seedling stage. At four (tomato) and six (spinach and lettuce) weeks post-germination, plant growth promotion was assessed by shoot dry weight (SDW) and leaf chlorophyll content measurements. Leaf populations of S. Newport were measured after 24h of leaf inoculation with this pathogen by direct plate counts on Tryptic Soy Agar. Root inoculation of spinach cv. 'Tyee', with Pseudomonas strain S2 or S4 resulted in a 69% and 63% increase in SDW compared to non-inoculated controls (pgrowth by over 40% compared to controls (pgrowth promotion was detected in tomato cv. 'BHN602', but S2-inoculated plants had elevated leaf chlorophyll content (13%, pgrowth, but also reduce the fitness of epiphytic S. enterica in the phyllosphere. Plant-mediated effects induced by PGPR may be an effective strategy to minimize contamination of crops with S. enterica during cultivation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth rates of rhizosphere microorganisms depend on competitive abilities of plants for nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Blagodatskaya, Evgenia; Littschwager, Johanna; Lauerer, Marianna; Kuzyakov, Yakov

2010-05-01

Rhizosphere - one of the most important ‘hot spots' in soil - is characterized not only by accelerated turnover of microbial biomass and nutrients but also by strong intra- and inter-specific competition. Intra-specific competition occurs between individual plants of the same species, while inter-specific competition can occur both at population level (plant species-specific, microbial species-specific interactions) and at community level (plant - microbial interactions). Such plant - microbial interactions are mainly governed by competition for available N sources, since N is one of the main growth limiting nutrients in natural ecosystems. Functional structure and activity of microbial community in rhizosphere is not uniform and is dependent on quantity and quality of root exudates which are plant specific. It is still unclear how microbial growth and turnover in the rhizosphere are dependent on the features and competitive abilities of plants for N. Depending on C and N availability, acceleration and even retardation of microbial activity and carbon mineralization can be expected in the rhizosphere of plants with high competitive abilities for N. We hypothesized slower microbial growth rates in the rhizosphere of plants with smaller roots, as they usually produce less exudates compared to plants with small shoot-to-root ratio. As the first hypothesis is based solely on C availability, we also expected the greater effect of N availability on microbial growth in rhizosphere of plants with smaller root mass. These hypothesis were tested for two plant species of strawberry: Fragaria vesca L. (native species), and Duchesnea indica (Andrews) Focke (an invasive plant in central Europe) growing in intraspecific and interspecific competition. Microbial biomass and the kinetic parameters of microbial growth in the rhizosphere were estimated by dynamics of CO2 emission from the soil amended with glucose and nutrients. Specific growth rate (µ) of soil microorganisms was

Service life monitoring of the main components at the Temelin nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, J.; Vincour, D.

2007-01-01

Knowledge and experience gained from the introduction and periodical implementation of life assessment of the major components of the Temelin nuclear power plant is summarized. The initial Soviet technical design of the plant did not incorporate lifetime monitoring and evaluation, therefore it was completed with demonstrative strength and lifetime calculations from Czech companies. Moreover, a Westinghouse primary circuit diagnosis and monitoring system, including the monitoring of temperature and pressure cycles for low-cycle fatigue evaluation, was installed at the plant. The DIALIFE code for the calculation of mainly the low-cycle fatigue of the key pressure components, was developed and installed subsequently as a superstructure to the monitoring system. (author)

Preferential Promotion of Lycopersicon esculentum (Tomato) Growth by Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Associated with Tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaikuntapu, Papa Rao; Dutta, Swarnalee; Samudrala, Ram Babu; Rao, Vukanti R V N; Kalam, Sadaf; Podile, Appa Rao

2014-12-01

A total of 74 morphologically distinct bacterial colonies were selected during isolation of bacteria from different parts of tomato plant (rhizoplane, phylloplane and rhizosphere) as well as nearby bulk soil. The isolates were screened for plant growth promoting (PGP) traits such as production of indole acetic acid, siderophore, chitinase and hydrogen cyanide as well as phosphate solubilization. Seven isolates viz., NR4, NR6, RP3, PP1, RS4, RP6 and NR1 that exhibited multiple PGP traits were identified, based on morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, as species that belonged to four genera Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Enterobacter. All the seven isolates were positive for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase. Isolate NR6 was antagonistic to Fusarium solani and Fusarium moniliforme, and both PP1 and RP6 isolates were antagonistic to F. moniliforme. Except RP6, all isolates adhered significantly to glass surface suggestive of biofilm formation. Seed bacterization of tomato, groundnut, sorghum and chickpea with the seven bacterial isolates resulted in varied growth response in laboratory assay on half strength Murashige and Skoog medium. Most of the tomato isolates positively influenced tomato growth. The growth response was either neutral or negative with groundnut, sorghum and chickpea. Overall, the results suggested that bacteria with PGP traits do not positively influence the growth of all plants, and certain PGP bacteria may exhibit host-specificity. Among the isolates that positively influenced growth of tomato (NR1, RP3, PP1, RS4 and RP6) only RS4 was isolated from tomato rhizosphere. Therefore, the best PGP bacteria can also be isolated from zones other than rhizosphere or rhizoplane of a plant.

Radiation monitoring instrumentation for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bharath Kumar, M.

2013-01-01

Measurement of nucleonic signals is required to control and operate the reactor in a safe and reliable manner. To achieve this, parameters like Neutron flux, other radiation fields, contamination levels, source strength, release thru stack etc. are required to be monitored and controlled. The above are required to be monitored throughout the life of the reactor whether it is operational or in shutdown condition. In addition such monitoring is also required during decommissioning phase of the reactor as needed. To measure these parameters a large number of instruments are used in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) which includes sensors and electronics for detecting alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation with qualification to withstand harsh environment

Monitoring update on four listed plants on the Arizona Strip

Science.gov (United States)

Lee E. Hughes

2001-01-01

Four listed plants on the Arizona Strip are being monitored for various population characteristics. Pediocactus sileri Engelm. L. Benson and P. bradyi L. Benson have been monitored since 1985-86, Asclepias welshii N & P Holmgren since 1989, and Cycladenia humilis Benth. var. jonesii Welsh & Atwood since 1993. The two pediocactus species were monitored in plots...

Demonstrating the Effects of Light Quality on Plant Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitesell, J. H.; Garcia, Maria

1977-01-01

Describes a lab demonstration that illustrates the effect of different colors or wavelengths of visible light on plant growth and development. This demonstration is appropriate for use in college biology, botany, or plant physiology courses. (HM)

Stripping Away the Soil: Plant Growth Promoting Microbiology Opportunities in Aquaponics

OpenAIRE

Bartelme, Ryan P; Oyserman, Ben O; Blom, Jesse E; Sepulveda-Villet, Osvaldo J; Newton, Ryan J

2018-01-01

As the processes facilitated by plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) become better characterized, it is evident that PGPMs may be critical for successful sustainable agricultural practices. Microbes enrich plant growth through various mechanisms, such as enhancing resistance to disease and drought, producing beneficial molecules, and supplying nutrients and trace metals to the plant rhizosphere. Previous studies of PGPMs have focused primarily on soil-based crops. In contrast, aquapo...

A monitoring system of radioactive tracers in hydroponic solution for research on plant physiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzui, N.; Kawachi, N.; Ishioka, N.; Fujimaki, S.; Yamaguchi, M.

2009-01-01

The mechanism of nutrient uptake in plants has received considerable attention in the field of plant science. Here we describe the development of a new monitoring system of radioactive tracers in hydroponic solution, which enables the noninvasive measurement of radioactive tracer uptake by an intact plant. In addition, we incorporated a weighing instrument into this system in order to simultaneously monitor water uptake by the same plant. For an evaluation of this monitoring system, we conducted a tracer experiment with a rice plant and a positron-emitting radioactive tracer, and successfully obtained continuous data for the amounts of radioactive tracer and water taken up by the intact plant over 36 h. (authors)

A monitoring system of radioactive tracers in hydroponic solution for research on plant physiology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzui, N.; Kawachi, N.; Ishioka, N.; Fujimaki, S. [Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Yamaguchi, M. [Takasaki Advanced Radiation Research Institute, Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan)

2009-07-01

The mechanism of nutrient uptake in plants has received considerable attention in the field of plant science. Here we describe the development of a new monitoring system of radioactive tracers in hydroponic solution, which enables the noninvasive measurement of radioactive tracer uptake by an intact plant. In addition, we incorporated a weighing instrument into this system in order to simultaneously monitor water uptake by the same plant. For an evaluation of this monitoring system, we conducted a tracer experiment with a rice plant and a positron-emitting radioactive tracer, and successfully obtained continuous data for the amounts of radioactive tracer and water taken up by the intact plant over 36 h. (authors)

Effects of plant growth regulators on callus, shoot and root formation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Root and stem explants of fluted pumpkin were cultured in medium containing different types and concentrations of plant growth regulators (PGRs). The explants were observed for callus, root and shoot formation parameters after four months. Differences among explants, plant growth regulators and their interaction were ...

Containment pressure monitoring method after severe accident in nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Chuanjie; Zhang Shishui

2011-01-01

The containment atmosphere monitoring system in nuclear power plant was designed on the basis of design accident. But containment pressure will increase greatly in a severe accident, and pressure instrument in the containment can't satisfy the monitoring requirement. A new method to monitor the pressure change in the containment after a severe accident was considered, through which accident soften methods can be adopted. Under present technical condition, adding a pressure monitoring channel out of containment for post-severe accident is a considerable method. Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant implemented this modification, by which the containment release time can be delayed during severe accident, and nuclear safety can be increased. After analysis, this method is safe and feasible. (authors)

On-line monitoring applications at nuclear power plants. A risk informed approach to calibration reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankar, Ramesh; Hussey, Aaron; Davis, Eddie

2003-01-01

On-line monitoring of instrument channels provides increased information about the condition of monitored channels through accurate, more frequent evaluation of each cannel's performance over time. This type of performance monitoring is a methodology that offers an alternate approach to traditional time-directed calibration. EPRI's strategic role in on-line monitoring is to facilitate its implementation and cost-effective use in numerous applications at power plants. To this end, EPRI has sponsored an on-line monitoring implementation project at multiple nuclear plants specifically intended to install and use on-line monitoring technology. The selected on-line monitoring method is based on the Multivariate State Estimation Technique. The project has a planned three-year life; seven plants are participating in the project. The goal is to apply on-line monitoring to all types of power plant applications and document all aspects of the implementation process in a series of EPRI reports. These deliverables cover installation, modeling, optimization, and proven cost-benefit. This paper discusses the actual implementation of on-line monitoring to various nuclear plant instrument systems. Examples of detected instrument drift are provided. (author)

Effect of Media Culture on Growth and Sucker Pandanus Plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ali salehi sardoei

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: One factor that is of great importance to the cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants, is the media. Planting plants in containers as an important component of the nursery technology has grown. Compared with farm volume, growth media used for each plant greatly reduce plant growth that largely influence by the physical and chemical properties of growth media used. Therefore, good management of potted plants bed will cause the plants have good quality. A good growth media with optimal physical and biological properties, relatively inexpensive, stable and style enough to work should be available. The Burgers showed that composted green waste can be used as substrates for soilless cultivation and improve the water-holding capacity of soil. The garden has a range of materials including hardwood and softwood bark, leaves, soil, waste, sewage sludge and coconut (cocopeat that has been used as a seed bed. According to the economic issues and increasing moisture storage, palm peat substrates are primary material that can be prepared as a good growth medium for the producing's presented level Country. Peat moss is not applicable to all plants because of high cost and poor absorption characteristics like low pH and low water holding capacity . This study was conducted to investigate the possibility of replacing peat moss palm waste and the effect of it on growth characteristics were studied. Materials and Methods: The experimental design was completely randomized design with four replications of eight treatments. The compressed unit (block was supplied and commercial cocopeat was used because of reducing the cost of transportation. Before applying this material, the amount of water was added for opening up and voluminous and become it completely uniform.. In treatments containing sand + perlite, these four types volume ratio of 1:1 and mixed with sand + perlite were used. First, wooden cuttings of pandanus in a bed of sand rooted in the

BARC-risk monitor- a tool for operational safety assessment in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinod, Gopika; Saraf, R.K.; Babar, A.K.; Hadap, Nikhil

2000-12-01

Probabilistic safety assessment has become a key tool as on today to identify and understand nuclear power plant vulnerabilities. As a result of the availability of these PSA studies, there is a desire to use them to enhance plant safety and to operate the nuclear stations in the most efficient manner. Risk monitor is a PC based tool, which computes the real time safety level and assists plant personnel to manage day-to-day activities. Risk monitor is a PC based user friendly software tool used for modification and re-analysis of a nuclear power plant. Operation of risk monitor is based on PSA methods for assisting in day to day applications. Risk monitoring programs can assess the risk profile and are used to optimise the operation of nuclear power plants with respect to a minimum risk level over the operating time. This report presents the background activities of risk monitor, its application areas and also gives the status of such tools in international scenarios. The software is based on the PSA model of Kaiga generating station and would be applicable to similar design configuration. (author)

Environmental radioactivity monitoring around the Rokkasho reprocessing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, K.; Hareyama, H.; Takeishi, M.

2009-01-01

Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited has carried out environmental monitoring in order to check that the dose of radiation to which the public is exposed around the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) is much lower than the annual dose limit. The monitoring is mainly carried out according to 'the program decided by the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) of Japan' and 'the program decided by the Aomori Prefectural Government.' In this report, we present information on the monitoring according to the NSC program, that is the point of view of selection of the monitoring items for dose assessment, the point of view of the dose assessment from the monitoring results, etc. Also, we report on estimation of the effects from the facilities on the monitoring results obtained and dose assessment of the public during Active testing of RRP. (author)

Development of advanced secondary chemistry monitoring system for Korea nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Hak; Kim, Chung Tae

1997-01-01

Water chemistry control is one of the most important tasks in order to maintain the reliability of plant equipments and extend the operating life of the plant. KEPCO and KOPEC developed a computerized tool for this purpose -ASCMS (advanced secondary chemistry monitoring system) which is able to monitor and diagnose the secondary water chemistry. A prototype system had been installed at KORI 3 nuclear power plant since April 1993 in order to evaluate the system performance. After the implementation of enhancements identified during the testing of the prototype, we have developed the advanced secondary monitoring system, ASCMS which is installed at 5 nuclear power plants and has been under operations since April 1997. The ASCMS comprises PC subsystem designed for data acquisition, data analysis, and data diagnosis. The ASCMS will provide overall information related to steam generator secondary side water chemistry problems and improve plant availability, reduce radiation exposure to workers, and reduce operating and maintenance costs. 6 figs

Agriculture on Mars: Soils for Plant Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, D. W.

2016-01-01

Robotic rovers and landers have enabled the mineralogical, chemical, and physical characterization of loose, unconsolidated materials on the surface of Mars. Planetary scientists refer to the regolith material as "soil." NASA is currently planning to send humans to Mars in the mid 2030s. Early missions may rely on the use of onsite resources to enable exploration and self-sufficient outposts on Mars. The martian "soil" and surface environment contain all essential plant growth elements. The study of martian surface materials and how they might react as agricultural soils opens a new frontier for researchers in the soil science community. Other potential applications for surface "soils" include (i) sources for extraction of essential plant-growth nutrients, (ii) sources of O2, H2, CO2, and H2O, (iii) substrates for microbial populations in the degradation of wastes, and (iv) shielding materials surrounding outpost structures to protect humans, plants, and microorganisms from radiation. There are many challenges that will have to be addressed by soil scientists prior to human exploration over the next two decades.

Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials on Plants Growth: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri, Samira; Muhd Julkapli, Nurhidayatullaili; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Hashemi, Farahnaz Sadat Golestan

2014-01-01

Rapid development and wide applications of nanotechnology brought about a significant increment on the number of engineered nanomaterials (ENs) inevitably entering our living system. Plants comprise of a very important living component of the terrestrial ecosystem. Studies on the influence of engineered nanomaterials (carbon and metal/metal oxides based) on plant growth indicated that in the excess content, engineered nanomaterials influences seed germination. It assessed the shoot-to-root ratio and the growth of the seedlings. From the toxicological studies to date, certain types of engineered nanomaterials can be toxic once they are not bound to a substrate or if they are freely circulating in living systems. It is assumed that the different types of engineered nanomaterials affect the different routes, behavior, and the capability of the plants. Furthermore, different, or even opposing conclusions, have been drawn from most studies on the interactions between engineered nanomaterials with plants. Therefore, this paper comprehensively reviews the studies on the different types of engineered nanomaterials and their interactions with different plant species, including the phytotoxicity, uptakes, and translocation of engineered nanomaterials by the plant at the whole plant and cellular level. PMID:25202734

Modern handling and monitoring concepts for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, H.; Lochner, K.H.

1989-01-01

Advanced microprocessor technology offers new means and methods also to power plant operation to improve the man-machine interface by using VDU's for process control, thus enhancing plant safety and reliability. A future control-room concept involving operation and monitoring to be effected by means of VDU's exclusively, calls for a detailed knowledge of the requirements which are made by the process and the operator on the system, and for the application of a very powerful microprocessor technology. Visualization of operating and monitoring processes matched to the needs of operators should be possible at high functionality and display quality without substantial restrictions caused by the device technology used. (orig.) [de

Monitoring of biogas test plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm-Nielsen, Jens Bo; Esbensen, Kim H.

2011-01-01

realistic bioreactor scales, it is necessary to obtain a fairly constant level of volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, which furthers a stable biogas production. Uncontrolled VFA contents have a significant negative impact on biogas production; VFA concentrations should not exceed 5–6000 mg/L lest......Most studies reported in the literature have investigated near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) in laboratory-scale or minor pilot biogas plants only; practically no other studies have examined the potential for meso-scale/full-scale on-line process monitoring. The focus of this study is on a meso......-scale biogas test plant implementation of process analytical technologies (PAT) to develop multivariate calibration/prediction models for anaerobic digestion (AD) processes. A 150 L bioreactor was fitted with a recurrent loop at which NIR spectroscopy and attendant reference sampling were carried out. In all...

Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant biological monitoring and abatement program (BMAP) plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, S.M.; Brandt, C.C.; Cicerone, D.S. [and others

1998-02-01

The proposed Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) for East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, as described, will be conducted for the duration of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued for the Y-12 Plant on April 28, 1995, and which became effective July 1, 1995. The basic approach to biological monitoring used in this program was developed by the staff in the Environmental Sciences Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the request of Y-12 Plant personnel. The proposed BMAP plan is based on results of biological monitoring conducted since 1985. Details of the specific procedures used in the current routine monitoring program are provided, but experimental designs for future studies are described in less detail. The overall strategy used in developing this plan was, and continues to be, to use the results obtained from each task to define the scope of future monitoring efforts. Such efforts may require more intensive sampling than initially proposed in some areas or a reduction in sampling intensity in others. By using the results of previous monitoring efforts to define the current program and to guide them in the development of future studies, an effective integrated monitoring program has been developed to assess the impacts of the Y-12 Plant operation on the biota of EFPC and to document the ecological effects of remedial actions.

Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant biological monitoring and abatement program (BMAP) plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, S.M.; Brandt, C.C.; Cicerone, D.S.

1998-02-01

The proposed Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) for East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, as described, will be conducted for the duration of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued for the Y-12 Plant on April 28, 1995, and which became effective July 1, 1995. The basic approach to biological monitoring used in this program was developed by the staff in the Environmental Sciences Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the request of Y-12 Plant personnel. The proposed BMAP plan is based on results of biological monitoring conducted since 1985. Details of the specific procedures used in the current routine monitoring program are provided, but experimental designs for future studies are described in less detail. The overall strategy used in developing this plan was, and continues to be, to use the results obtained from each task to define the scope of future monitoring efforts. Such efforts may require more intensive sampling than initially proposed in some areas or a reduction in sampling intensity in others. By using the results of previous monitoring efforts to define the current program and to guide them in the development of future studies, an effective integrated monitoring program has been developed to assess the impacts of the Y-12 Plant operation on the biota of EFPC and to document the ecological effects of remedial actions

Information Integration and Communication in Plant Growth Regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaiwanon, Juthamas; Wang, Wenfei; Zhu, Jia-Ying; Oh, Eunkyoo; Wang, Zhi-Yong

2016-03-10

Plants are equipped with the capacity to respond to a large number of diverse signals, both internal ones and those emanating from the environment, that are critical to their survival and adaption as sessile organisms. These signals need to be integrated through highly structured intracellular networks to ensure coherent cellular responses, and in addition, spatiotemporal actions of hormones and peptides both orchestrate local cell differentiation and coordinate growth and physiology over long distances. Further, signal interactions and signaling outputs vary significantly with developmental context. This review discusses our current understanding of the integrated intracellular and intercellular signaling networks that control plant growth. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction: a longitudinal study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hecher, K.; Bilardo, C. M.; Stigter, R. H.; Ville, Y.; Hackelöer, B. J.; Kok, H. J.; Senat, M. V.; Visser, G. H.

2001-01-01

To describe the time sequence of changes in fetal monitoring variables in intrauterine growth restriction and to correlate these findings with fetal outcome at delivery. This was a prospective longitudinal observational multicenter study on 110 singleton pregnancies with growth-restricted fetuses

Degradation of PVC/HC blends. II. Terrestrial plant growth test.

Science.gov (United States)

Pascu, Mihaela; Agafiţei, Gabriela-Elena; Profire, Lenuţa; Vasile, Cornelia

2009-01-01

The behavior at degradation by soil burial of some plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based blends with a variable content of hydrolyzed collagen (HC) has been followed. The modifications induced in the environment by the polymer systems (pH variation, physiologic state of the plants, assimilatory pigments) were studied. Using the growth test of the terrestrial plants, we followed the development of Triticum (wheat), Helianthus annus minimus (little sunflower), Pisum sativum (pea), and Vicia X hybrida hort, during a vegetation cycle. After the harvest, for each plant, the quantities of chlorophyll and carotenoidic pigments and of trace- and macroelements were determined. It was proved that, in the presence of polymer blends, the plants do not suffer morphological and physiological modifications, the products released in the culture soil being not toxic for the plants growth.

Chemical monitoring strategy for the assessment of advanced water treatment plant performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Drewes, J E; McDonald, J A; Trinh, T; Storey, M V; Khan, S J

2011-01-01

A pilot-scale plant was employed to validate the performance of a proposed full-scale advanced water treatment plant (AWTP) in Sydney, Australia. The primary aim of this study was to develop a chemical monitoring program that can demonstrate proper plant operation resulting in the removal of priority chemical constituents in the product water. The feed water quality to the pilot plant was tertiary-treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant. The unit processes of the AWTP were comprised of an integrated membrane system (ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis) followed by final chlorination generating a water quality that does not present a source of human or environmental health concern. The chemical monitoring program was undertaken over 6 weeks during pilot plant operation and involved the quantitative analysis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, steroidal hormones, industrial chemicals, pesticides, N-nitrosamines and halomethanes. The first phase consisted of baseline monitoring of target compounds to quantify influent concentrations in feed waters to the plant. This was followed by a period of validation monitoring utilising indicator chemicals and surrogate measures suitable to assess proper process performance at various stages of the AWTP. This effort was supported by challenge testing experiments to further validate removal of a series of indicator chemicals by reverse osmosis. This pilot-scale study demonstrated a simplified analytical approach that can be employed to assure proper operation of advanced water treatment processes and the absence of trace organic chemicals.

Do plant-based amendments improve soil physiochemical and microbiological properties and plant growth in dryland ecosystems?

Science.gov (United States)

Kneller, Tayla; Harris, Richard; Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam

2017-04-01

Background Land intensive practices including mining have contributed to the degradation of landscapes globally. Current challenges in post-mine restoration revolve around the use of substrates poor in organic materials (e.g. overburden and waste rock) and lack of original topsoil which may result in poor seedling recruitment and in later stages in soil nutrient deficiency, metal toxicity, decreased microbial activity and high salinity (Bateman et al., 2016; Muñoz-Rojas et al., 2016). Despite continuous efforts and advances we have not proportionally advanced our capability to successfully restore these landscapes following mining. Recent attempts to improve plant establishment in arid zone restoration programs have included the application of plant based amendments to soil profiles. This approach usually aims to accelerate soil reconstruction via improvement of soil aggregate stability and increase of soil organic carbon, and water holding capacity. Whilst a significant amount of recent research has focused on the application of such amendments, studies on the potential application of plant based materials to recover soil functionality and re-establish plant communities in post-mined landscapes in arid regions are limited. Here we will discuss our work investigating the application of a plant based amendment on soil substrates commonly used in post mining restoration in the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Methodology The study was conducted in a glasshouse facility where environmental conditions were continuously monitored. Using two growth materials (topsoil and waste rock) and a plant based amendment (dry biomass of the most common grass in the Pilbara, Triodia wiseana) five different treatments were tested. Treatments consisted of control soil treatments (topsoil, waste and a mixture of the former soil types (mixture)) and two amended soil treatments (waste amended and mixture amended). Additionally, three different vegetation communities were studies

Influence of Plant Population and Nitrogen-Fertilizer at Various Levels on Growth and Growth Efficiency of Maize

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. I. Tajul

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Field experiments were conducted to evaluate plant population and N-fertilizer effects on yield and yield components of maize (Zea mays L.. Three levels of plant populations (53000, 66000, and 800000 plants ha−1 corresponding to spacings of 75 × 25, 60 × 25, and 50 × 25 cm and 4 doses of N (100, 140, 180, and 220 kg ha−1 were the treatment variables. Results revealed that plant growth, light interception (LI, yield attributes, and grain yield varied significantly due to the variations in population density and N-rates. Crop growth rate (CGR was the highest with the population of 80,000 ha−1 receiving 220 kg N ha−1, while relative growth rate (RGR showed an opposite trend of CGR. Light absorption was maximum when most of densely populated plant received the highest amount of N (220 kg N ha−1. Response of soil-plant-analysis development (SPAD value as well as N-content to N-rates was found significant. Plant height was the maximum at the lowest plant density with the highest amount of N. Plants that received 180 kg N ha−1 with 80,000 plants ha−1 had larger foliage, greater SPAD value, and higher amount of grains cob−1 that contributed to the maximum yield (5.03 t ha−1 and the maximum harvest index (HI compared to the plants in other treatments.

The rice growth image files - The Rice Growth Monitoring for The Phenotypic Functional Analysis | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available List Contact us The Rice Growth Monitoring for The Phenotypic Functional Analysis The rice growth image file...s Data detail Data name The rice growth image files DOI 10.18908/lsdba.nbdc00945-004 Description of data contents The rice growth ima...ge files categorized based on file size. Data file File name: image files (director...y) File URL: ftp://ftp.biosciencedbc.jp/archive/agritogo-rice-phenome/LATEST/image...ite Policy | Contact Us The rice growth image files - The Rice Growth Monitoring for The Phenotypic Functional Analysis | LSDB Archive ...

Characterization of Effective Rhizobacteria Isolated from Velvet Bean (Mucuna Pruriens) to Enhance Plant Growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saleem, A. R.; Mahmood, T.; Batool, A.; Khalid, A.

2016-01-01

Rhizobacteria with plant growth promoting ability exist in association with plant roots and ameliorate over all plant development and yield. Numerous species of rhizobacteria have been identified with plant growth promoting ability, which can be attributed to multiple microbial characteristics. In the current study rhizobacterial isolates with best plant growth promotion traits were subjected to screening for plant growth promotion under axenic condition. The results of lab assays revealed that out of five rhizobacterial isolates three of bacterial isolate were Gram -ve and two of them were Gram +ve bacterial group. All isolates found positive for the auxin production and ACC-demainase activity. The isolate HS9 showed highest ACC activity (331 ketobutyrate nmol mg-1 biomass hr-1) and auxin production (3.85 without L-TRP). PGPR increase plant growth by reducing the ethylene release and its inhibitory effects, the role of isolates to decrease ethylene effects was affirmed via classical triple response assay on velvet bean. Furthermore, isolate were assessed for resistance test, three efficient strains (G9, HS9 and H38) exhibited antibiotic resistance for streptomycin, kanamycin and rifampicin at 100 mg L-1in TSB medium. For the purpose of co-inoculation, all three isolates showed positive relation to grow together. The results concluded that rhizobacteria selected from rain fed areas were found effective to improve plant growth with their multiple growth enhancing traits. Therefore, PGPR with various characteristics could be a better option for inoculation and co-inoculation to improve plant growth in well watered and water stressed environment. (author)

Utilization of γ-irradiation technique on plant mutation breeding and plant growth regulation in Tokyo Metropolitan Isotope Research Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suda, Hirokatsu

1997-01-01

During about 30-years, we have developed γ-irradiation technique and breeding back pruning method for the study of mutation breeding of ornamental plants. As a result, we have made a wide variety of new mutant lines in chrysanthemum, narcissus, begonia rex, begonia iron cross, winter daphne, zelkova, sweet-scented oleander, abelia, kobus, and have obtained 7 plant patents. By the use of γ-irradiation to plant mutation breeding, we often observed that plants irradiated by low dose of γ-rays showed superior or inferior growth than the of non-irradiated plants. Now, we established the irradiation conditions of γ-rays for mutation breeding and growth of regulation in narcissus, tulip, Enkianthus perulatus Schneid., komatsuna, moyashi, african violet. In most cases, irradiation dose rate is suggested to be a more important factor to induce plant growth regulators than irradiation dose. (author)

On-line surveillance system for Borssele nuclear power plant monitoring and diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuerkcan, E.; Ciftcioglu, Oe.

1993-08-01

An operating on-line surveillance and diagnostic system is described where information processing for monitoring and fault diagnosis and plant maintenance are addressed. The surveillance system by means of its realtime multiprocessing, multitasking execution capabilities can perform plant-wide and wide-range monitoring for enhanced plant safety and operational reliability as well as enhanced maintenance. At the same time the system provides the possibilities for goal-oriented research and development such as estimation, filtering, verification and validation and neural networks. (orig./HP)

Neural networks for sensor validation and plant monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upadhyaya, B.R.; Eryurek, E.; Mathai, G.

1990-01-01

Sensor and process monitoring in power plants require the estimation of one or more process variables. Neural network paradigms are suitable for establishing general nonlinear relationships among a set of plant variables. Multiple-input multiple-output autoassociative networks can follow changes in plant-wide behavior. The backpropagation algorithm has been applied for training feedforward networks. A new and enhanced algorithm for training neural networks (BPN) has been developed and implemented in a VAX workstation. Operational data from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) have been used to study the performance of BPN. Several results of application to the EBR-II are presented

The Meteorological Monitoring program at a former nuclear weapons plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maxwell, D.R.; Bowen, B.M.

1994-01-01

The purpose of the Meteorological Monitoring program at Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) is to provide meteorological information for use in assessing the transport, and diffusion, and deposition of effluent actually or potentially released into the atmosphere by plant operations. Achievement of this objective aids in protecting health and safety of the public, employees, and environment, and directly supports Emergency Response programs at RFP. Meteorological information supports the design of environmental monitoring networks for impact assessments, environmental surveillance activities, remediation activities, and emergency responses. As the mission of the plant changes from production of nuclear weapons parts to environmental cleanup and economic development, smaller releases resulting from remediation activities become more likely. These possible releases could result from airborne fugitive dust, evaporation from collection ponds, or grass fires

Monitoring of occupational exposure at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The regulations concerning the monitoring of radiation doses of nuclear power plant workers and the reporting of radiation doses to the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) are specified in the guide. (10 refs.)

Facility effluent monitoring plan for the B plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesser, J.E.

1994-09-01

A facility effluent monitoring plan is required by the U.S. Department of Energy in DOE Order 5400.1 for any operations that involve hazardous materials and radioactive substances that could impact employee or public safety or the environment. This document is prepared using the specific guidelines identified in A Guide for Preparing Hanford Site Facility Effluent Monitoring Plans, WHC-EP-0438-1. This facility effluent monitoring plant assesses effluent monitoring systems and evaluates whether they are adequate to ensure the public health and safety as specified in applicable federal, state, and local requirements. This facility effluent monitoring plan shall ensure long-range integrity of the effluent monitoring systems by requiring an update whenever a new process or operation introduces new hazardous materials or significant radioactive materials. This document must be reviewed annually even if there are no operational changes, and it must be updated every three years

Effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) on plant growth, yield, and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) under simulated seawater irrigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Min; Jun Kang, Yi; Li Wang, Huan; Sheng Zhang, Xiang; Xin Zhao, Qing

2012-01-01

To determine the effects of three PGPRs on plant growth, yield, and quality of tomato under simulated seawater irrigation, a two consecutive seasons' field experiment was conducted in Yancheng Teachers University plot from April to June and August to October, 2011. The results showed that Erwinia persicinus RA2 containing ACC deaminase exhibited the best ability compared with Bacillus pumilus WP8 and Pseudomonas putida RBP1 which had no ACC deaminase activity to enhance marketable yields of fresh and dried fruits in tomato under simulated seawater irrigation especially under HS condition. B. pumilus WP8 had significant effects on improving tomato fruit quality under the conditions of irrigating with 1.0% NaCl solution (MS) and with 2.0% NaCl solution (HS). Na(+) contents were generally accumulated much more in tomato plant mid-shoot leaves than in fruits whatever the salt concentration. More sodium accumulation in leaves of E. persicinus RA2 and B. pumilus WP8 treatments under HS condition were found than in control. E. persicinus RA2 and B. pumilus WP8 can promote tomato growth, improve fruit quality more firmly than P. putida RBP1 during two consecutive seasons. Our study suggested that E. persicinus RA2 and B. pumilus WP8 are considered to be promising PGPR strains which are suited for application in salt marsh planting, ACC deaminase activity was not unique index on screening for PGPRs with the aim of salt stress tolerance, and plant growth promoting activities may be relevant to different growth indices and different stress conditions.

Start small, think big: Growth monitoring, genetic analysis, treatment and quality of life in children with growth disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stalman, S.E.

2016-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to focus on issues that arise when dealing with children with growth disorders – from growth monitoring and genetic analysis to treatment effects on growth and quality of life. The first part of this thesis focuses on guidelines for diagnostic workup of children with growth

Timing Effects of Heat-Stress on Plant Ecophysiological Characteristics and Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dan; Heckathorn, Scott A; Mainali, Kumar; Tripathee, Rajan

2016-01-01

Heat-waves with higher intensity and frequency and longer durations are expected in the future due to global warming, which could have dramatic impacts in agriculture, economy and ecology. This field study examined how plant responded to heat-stress (HS) treatment at different timing in naturally occurring vegetation. HS treatment (5 days at 40.5°C) were applied to 12 1 m 2 plots in restored prairie vegetation dominated by a warm-season C 4 grass, Andropogon gerardii , and a warm-season C 3 forb, Solidago canadensis , at different growing stages. During and after each heat stress (HS) treatment, temperature were monitored for air, canopy, and soil; net CO 2 assimilation ( A net ), quantum yield of photosystem II (Φ PSII ), stomatal conductance ( g s ), and internal CO 2 level ( C i ), specific leaf area (SLA), and chlorophyll content of the dominant species were measured. One week after the last HS treatment, all plots were harvested and the biomass of above-ground tissue and flower weight of the two dominant species were determined. HS decreased physiological performance and growth for both species, with S. canadensis being affected more than A. gerardii , indicated by negative HS effect on both physiological and growth responses for S. canadensis . There were significant timing effect of HS on the two species, with greater reductions in the net photosynthetic rate and productivity occurred when HS was applied at later-growing season. The reduction in aboveground productivity in S. canadensis but not A. gerardii could have important implications for plant community structure by increasing the competitive advantage of A. gerardii in this grassland. The present experiment showed that HS, though ephemeral, may promote long-term effects on plant community structure, vegetation dynamics, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning of terrestrial biomes when more frequent and severe HS occur in the future.

Increased nutritional quality of plants for long-duration spaceflight missions through choice of plant variety and manipulation of growth conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Cohu, Christopher M.; Lombardi, Elizabeth; Adams, William W.; Demmig-Adams, Barbara

2014-02-01

Low levels of radiation during spaceflight increase the incidence of eye damage and consumption of certain carotenoids (especially zeaxanthin), via a whole-food-based diet (rather than from supplements), is recommended to protect human vision against radiation damage. Availability of fresh leafy produce has, furthermore, been identified as desirable for morale during long spaceflight missions. We report that only trace amounts of zeaxanthin are retained post-harvest in leaves grown under conditions conducive to rapid plant growth. We show that growth of plants under cool temperatures and very high light can trigger a greater retention of zeaxanthin, while, however, simultaneously retarding plant growth. We here introduce a novel growth condition—low growth light supplemented with several short daily light pulses of higher intensity—that also triggers zeaxanthin retention, but without causing any growth retardation. Moreover, two plant varieties with different hardiness exhibited a different propensity for zeaxanthin retention. These findings demonstrate that growth light environment and plant variety can be exploited to simultaneously optimize nutritional quality (with respect to zeaxanthin and two other carotenoids important for human vision, lutein and β-carotene) as well as biomass production of leafy greens suitable as bioregenerative systems for long-duration manned spaceflight missions.

OAK RIDGE Y-12 PLANT BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AND ABATEMENT PROGRAM (BMAP) PLAN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ADAMS, S.M.; BRANDT, C.C.; CHRISTENSEN, S.W.; CICERONE, D.S.; GREELEY, M.S.JR; HILL, W.R.; HUSTON, M.S.; KSZOS, L.A.; MCCARTHY, J.F.; PETERSON, M.J.; RYON, M.G.; SMITH, J.G.; SOUTHWORTH, G.R.; STEWART, A.J.

1998-10-01

The proposed Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) for East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, as described, will be conducted for the duration of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued for the Y-12 Plant on April 28, 1995, and which became effective July 1, 1995. The basic approach to biological monitoring used in this program was developed by the staff in the Environmental Sciences Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the request of Y- 12 Plant personnel. The proposed BMAP plan is based on results of biological monitoring conducted since 1985. Details of the specific procedures used in the current routine monitoring program are provided but experimental designs for future studies are described in less detail. The overall strategy used in developing this plan was, and continues to be, to use the results obtained from each task to define the scope of future monitoring efforts. Such efforts may require more intensive sampling than initially proposed in some areas (e.g., additional toxicity testing if initial results indicate low survival or reproduction) or a reduction in sampling intensity in others (e.g., reduction in the number of sampling sites when no impact is observed). By using the results of previous monitoring efforts to define the current program and to guide us in the development of future studies, an effective integrated monitoring program has been developed to assess the impacts of the Y-12 Plant operation on the biota of EFPC and to document the ecological effects of remedial actions.

Development of a web-based monitoring system using operation parameters for the main component in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, Dong Chan; An Kang Il; Hong, Suk Young; Lee, Jeong Soo; Lee, Kwang Yeol; Shin, Sun Hee; Lee, Chun Wha; Son, So Hee [Daesang Information Technology Co., Ltd., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2003-03-15

The frequency of the damage is increasing, which is caused by the fatigue, according to the increase of running of nuclear power plants. So we need to acquire the reliance of design data to estimate the fatigue and damage of major machinery that might happen as time-dependent crack growth characterization. The research is focused on keeping operating record of nuclear power plants about major machinery which consists of a nuclear reactor pressure boarder on each excessive operating condition including normal operating and extraordinary operating by estimating fracture mechanical movements on real time and fatigue about major nuclear power plants machinery, which are acquired the pressure and temperature data. For further details about the scope and contents of R and D are following: development of H/W that is necessary to acquire operating real time data of heating and hydraulic power, selection of a safety variable about major system by each type (the fourth unit), communication protocol development for connecting between CARE system data base server and fatigue monitoring system data base server, development of connecting database for controlling and storing of heating and hydraulic power operating data, real time monitoring system development based on web using JAVA.

Plant growth regulation by the light of LEDs; LED ko wo tsukatta shokubutsu saibai gijutsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watanabe, H. [Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Tokyo (Japan). Yokohama Research Center

1996-03-01

Light Emitting Diode (LED) has not only an excellent display function for the luminescent device but also a superior feature without other lamps as light source for plant growth. It was National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find out such merit for this light source for plant growth and try at first to use for plant growth at the space. They began to examine the LED application to the light source for the plant growth at the space since a stage at high cost of the LED, to develop some researches centered at cultivation of lettuce, wheat, and others. Finding out future possibility of cost-down of the LEDs on the cost/performance and large merits of the LEDs for control of the plant growth and plant physiology, authors have conducted some cultivation experiments of the plants using the LEDs for light source some years ago. In this papers, characterizations, actual possibility, and future developments of the LEDs for the light sources of the plant growth, are introduced. 5 refs., 4 figs.

Monitoring and diagnosis of vegetable growth based on internet of things

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qian; Yu, Feng; Fu, Rong; Li, Gang

2017-10-01

A new condition monitoring method of vegetable growth was proposed, which was based on internet of things. It was combined remote environmental monitoring, video surveillance, intelligently decision-making and two-way video consultation together organically.

Wireless online position monitoring of manual valve types for plant configuration management in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, Vivek; Buttles, John W.; Beaty, Lawrence H.; Naser, Joseph; Hallbert, Bruce P.

2016-01-01

In the current competitive energy market, the nuclear industry is committed to lower the operations and maintenance cost; increase productivity and efficiency while maintaining safe and reliable operation. The present operating model of nuclear power plants is dependent on large technical staffs that put the nuclear industry at long-term economic disadvantage. Technology can play a key role in nuclear power plant configuration management in offsetting labor costs by automating manually performed plant activities. The technology being developed, tested, and demonstrated in this paper will enable the continued safe operation of today’s fleet of light water reactors by providing the technical means to monitor components in plants today that are only routinely monitored through manual activities. The wireless enabled valve position indicators that are the subject of this paper are able to provide a valid position indication available continuously, rather than only periodically. As a result, a real-time (online) availability of valve positions using an affordable technologies are vital to plant configuration when compared with long-term labor rates, and provide information that can be used for a variety of plant engineering, maintenance, and management applications.

On-Line Monitoring of Instrument Channel Performance in Nuclear Power Plant Using PEANO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fantoni, Paolo F.; Hoffmann, Mario; Shankar, Ramesh; Davis, Eddie L.

2002-01-01

On-Line monitoring evaluates instrument channel performance by assessing its consistency with other plant indications. Industry and EPRI experience at several plants has shown this overall approach to be very effective in identifying instrument channels that are exhibiting degrading or inconsistent performance characteristics. On-Line monitoring of instrument channels provides information about the condition of the monitored channels through accurate, more frequent monitoring of each channel's performance over time. This type of performance monitoring is a methodology that offers an alternate approach to traditional time-directed calibration. On-line monitoring of these channels can provide an assessment of instrument performance and provide a basis for determining when adjustments are necessary. Elimination or reduction of unnecessary field calibrations can reduce associated labor costs, reduce personnel radiation exposure and reduce the potential for miss-calibration. PEANO is a system for on-line calibration monitoring developed in the years 1995-2000 at the Institutt for energiteknikk (IFE), Norway, which makes use of Artificial Intelligence techniques for its purpose. The system has been tested successfully in Europe in off-line tests with EDF (France), Tecnatom (Spain) and ENEA (Italy). PEANO is currently installed and used for on-line monitoring at the HBWR reactor in Halden. This paper describes the results of performance tests on PEANO with real data from a US PWR plant, in the framework of a co-operation among IFE, EPRI and Edan Engineering, to evaluate the potentials of PEANO for future installations in US nuclear plants. (authors)

ChemANDTM - a system health monitor for plant chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, C.W.; Mitchel, G.R.; Balakrishnan, P.V.; Tosello, G.

1999-07-01

Effective management of plant systems throughout their lifetime requires much more than data acquisition and display - it requires that the plant's system health be continually monitored and managed. AECL has developed a System Health Monitor called ChemAND for CANDU plant chemistry. ChemAND, a Chemistry ANalysis and Diagnostic system, monitors key chemistry parameters in the heat transport system, moderator-cover gas, annulus gas, and the steam cycle during full-power operation and feeds these parameters to models that calculate the effect of current plant operating conditions on the present and future health of the system. Chemistry data from each of the systems are extracted on a regular basis from the plant's Historical Data Server and are sorted according to function, e.g., indicators for condenser in-leakage, air in-leakage, heavy water leakage into the annulus gas, fuel failure, etc. Each parameter is conveniently displayed and is trended along with its alarm limits. ChemAND currently has two analytical models developed for the balance-of-plant. CHEMSOLV calculates crevice chemistry conditions in the steam generator (SG) from either the SG blowdown chemistry conditions or from a simulated condenser leak. This information will be used by operations personnel to evaluate the potential for SG tube corrosion in the crevice region. CHEMSOLV also calculates chemistry conditions throughout the steam-cycle system, as determined by the transport of volatile species such as ammonia, hydrazine, morpholine, and oxygen. A second model, SLUDGE, calculates the deposit loading in the SG as a function of time, based on concentrations of corrosion product in the final feedwater and plant operating conditions. Operations personnel can use this information to predict where to inspect and when to clean. In a future development, SLUDGE will track deposit loading arising from start-up crud bursts and will be used in conjunction with the thermohydraulics code, THIRST, to predict

Environmental Growth Conditions of Trichoderma spp. Affects Indole Acetic Acid Derivatives, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Plant Growth Promotion

Science.gov (United States)

Nieto-Jacobo, Maria F.; Steyaert, Johanna M.; Salazar-Badillo, Fatima B.; Nguyen, Dianne Vi; Rostás, Michael; Braithwaite, Mark; De Souza, Jorge T.; Jimenez-Bremont, Juan F.; Ohkura, Mana; Stewart, Alison

2017-01-01

Trichoderma species are soil-borne filamentous fungi widely utilized for their many plant health benefits, such as conferring improved growth, disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance to their hosts. Many Trichoderma species are able to produce the auxin phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and its production has been suggested to promote root growth. Here we show that the production of IAA is strain dependent and diverse external stimuli are associated with its production. In in vitro assays, Arabidopsis primary root length was negatively affected by the interaction with some Trichoderma strains. In soil experiments, a continuum effect on plant growth was shown and this was also strain dependent. In plate assays, some strains of Trichoderma spp. inhibited the expression of the auxin reporter gene DR5 in Arabidopsis primary roots but not secondary roots. When Trichoderma spp. and A. thaliana were physically separated, enhancement of both shoot and root biomass, increased root production and chlorophyll content were observed, which strongly suggested that volatile production by the fungus influenced the parameters analyzed. Trichoderma strains T. virens Gv29.8, T. atroviride IMI206040, T. sp. “atroviride B” LU132, and T. asperellum LU1370 were demonstrated to promote plant growth through volatile production. However, contrasting differences were observed with LU1370 which had a negative effect on plant growth in soil but a positive effect in plate assays. Altogether our results suggest that the mechanisms and molecules involved in plant growth promotion by Trichoderma spp. are multivariable and are affected by the environmental conditions. PMID:28232840

APPLICATION OF DRIP IRRIGATION ON COTTON PLANT GROWTH (Gossypium sp.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syahruni Thamrin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The condition of cotton planting in South Sulawesi is always constrained in the fulfillment of water. All plant growth stages are not optimal to increase production, so it is necessary to introduce good water management technology, such as through water supply with drip irrigation system. This study aims to analyze the strategy of irrigation management in cotton plants using drip irrigation system. Model of application by designing drip irrigation system and cotton planting on land prepared as demonstration plot. Observations were made in the germination phase and the vegetative phase of the early plants. Based on the result of drip irrigation design, the emitter droplet rate (EDR was 34.266 mm/hour with an operational time of 4.08 min/day. From the observation of cotton growth, it is known that germination time lasted from 6 to 13 days after planting, the average plant height reached 119.66 cm, with the number of leaves averaging 141.93 pieces and the number of bolls averaging 57.16 boll.

Non-Contact Plant Growth Measurement Method and System Based on Ubiquitous Sensor Network Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Intae Ryoo

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a non-contact plant growth measurement system using infrared sensors based on the ubiquitous sensor network (USN technology. The proposed system measures plant growth parameters such as the stem radius of plants using real-time non-contact methods, and generates diameter, cross-sectional area and thickening form of plant stems using this measured data. Non-contact sensors have been used not to cause any damage to plants during measurement of the growth parameters. Once the growth parameters are measured, they are transmitted to a remote server using the sensor network technology and analyzed in the application program server. The analyzed data are then provided for administrators and a group of interested users. The proposed plant growth measurement system has been designed and implemented using fixed-type and rotary-type infrared sensor based measurement methods and devices. Finally, the system performance is compared and verified with the measurement data that have been obtained by practical field experiments.

Effects of plant growth regulators in heliconia ‘Red Opal’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cecilia Ribeiro de Castro

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate growth regulators with purpose of reducing the size of heliconia ‘Red Opal’ potted plants. The experiment was carried out in randomized block design with five treatments (trinexapac-ethyl and paclobutrazol at rates of 37.5 and 75.0 mg of active ingredient per pot and control without growth regulator and five replicates. The treatments were applied 40 days after planting the rhizomes in pots filled with soil. Thirty and 150 days after the growth regulator application, plant height, number of leaves and shoots, petioles length and leaf area were evaluated. One year after planting the rhizomes in pots the number of inflorescence and leaves (leaves, sheathing leaf bases and inflorescences and rhizomes (rhizomes and roots dry mass were determined. Trinexapac-ethyl had no differences compared to the control in any of the variables evaluated. Paclobutrazol proved effective in reducing plant height, leaf area and petiole length and increase in number of leaves and shoots but the effect was temporary. Also, it did not affect the inflorescences production and leaves and rhizomes dry mass. Paclobutrazol is efficient to promote height reduction and to increase the number of shoots in heliconia ‘Red Opal’ potted plants without affect the inflorescence formation but its effects is temporary.

Monitoring corrosion and biofilm formation in nuclear plants using electrochemical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Licina, G.J.; Nekoksa, G.; Ward, G.L.; Howard, R.L.; Cubicciotti, D.

1993-01-01

During the 1980's, degradation of piping, heat exchangers, and other components in raw water cooled systems by a variety of corrosion mechanisms became an important in the reliability and cost effectiveness of U.S. nuclear plants. General and localized corrosion, including pitting and crevice corrosion, have all been shown to be operative in nuclear plant cooling systems. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) also afflicts nuclear cooling water and service water systems. The prediction of locations to be inspected, selection of mitigation measures, and control of water treatments and maintenance planning rely upon the accuracy and sensitivity of monitoring techniques. Electrochemical methods can provide rapid measurements of corrosion and biological activity on line. The results from a corrosion monitoring study in a service water system at a fresh water cooled nuclear plant are presented. This study utilized determinations of open circuit potential and reversed potentiodynamic scans on carbon steels, Admiralty, and stainless steels (Types 304 and 316 as well as high chromium, high molybdenum ferritic and austenitic grades) to evaluate the rate and form of corrosion to be anticipated in typical service. An electrochemical method that permits the monitoring of biofilm activity on-line has been developed. Results from laboratory and in-plant exposure in a nuclear power plant system are presented

Effects of gasification biochar on plant-available water capacity and plant growth in two contrasting soil types

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Veronika; Hauggaard-Nielsen, Henrik; Petersen, Carsten Tilbæk

2016-01-01

Abstract Gasification biochar (GB) contains recalcitrant carbon that can contribute to soil carbon sequestration and soil quality improvement. However, the impact of GB on plant-available water capacity (AWC) and plant growth in diverse soil types still needs to be explored. A pot experiment......, the reduced water regime significantly affected plant growth and water consumption, whereas the effect was less pronounced in the coarse sand. Irrespective of the soil type, both GBs increased AWC by 17–42%, with the highest absolute effect in the coarse sand. The addition of SGB to coarse sand led...

Spaceflight hardware for conducting plant growth experiments in space: the early years 1960-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Porterfield, D. M.; Neichitailo, G. S.; Mashinski, A. L.; Musgrave, M. E.

2003-01-01

The best strategy for supporting long-duration space missions is believed to be bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). An integral part of a BLSS is a chamber supporting the growth of higher plants that would provide food, water, and atmosphere regeneration for the human crew. Such a chamber will have to be a complete plant growth system, capable of providing lighting, water, and nutrients to plants in microgravity. Other capabilities include temperature, humidity, and atmospheric gas composition controls. Many spaceflight experiments to date have utilized incomplete growth systems (typically having a hydration system but lacking lighting) to study tropic and metabolic changes in germinating seedlings and young plants. American, European, and Russian scientists have also developed a number of small complete plant growth systems for use in spaceflight research. Currently we are entering a new era of experimentation and hardware development as a result of long-term spaceflight opportunities available on the International Space Station. This is already impacting development of plant growth hardware. To take full advantage of these new opportunities and construct innovative systems, we must understand the results of past spaceflight experiments and the basic capabilities of the diverse plant growth systems that were used to conduct these experiments. The objective of this paper is to describe the most influential pieces of plant growth hardware that have been used for the purpose of conducting scientific experiments during the first 40 years of research. c2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Support of the Ukrainian supervisory authority in establishing a modern nuclear power plant monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beyer, M.; Carl, H.; Schumann, P.; Seidel, A.; Weiss, F.P.; Zschau, J.; Nowak, K.

2000-01-01

The type of monitoring of nuclear power plants in Ukraine practiced in the early nineties provided the supervisory authority with only inadequate access to information about the current safety status of plants. For the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, unit 5, a technical system to improve operational monitoring has been designed, installed and commissioned for trial operation at the end of 1995 as a pilot project. The system complements existing operational checking and monitoring facilities by including modern means of information technology. It enables concentration on a continuous monitoring of the state of unit 5 in normal operation and in cases of anormalies or incidents so that when recognisable deviations from the regular plant operation occur, the authority can immediately inquire and if necessary impose conditions on the operator. In 1997, the Information and Crisis Centre of the Ukraninian supervisory authority in Kiev was equipped with the most essential technical means necessary for quasi-simultaneous transfer of data and voice and for monitoring purposes and connected to the Centre to the Zaporozhye system. A similar monitoring system for both VVER-440 units of the Rovno nuclear power plant by analogy with the pilot project was specified and put into operation and connected to the ICC in 1998. (orig.) [de

Contrasting growth responses of dominant peatland plants to warming and vegetation composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Tom N; Ward, Susan E; Ostle, Nicholas J; Bardgett, Richard D

2015-05-01

There is growing recognition that changes in vegetation composition can strongly influence peatland carbon cycling, with potential feedbacks to future climate. Nevertheless, despite accelerated climate and vegetation change in this ecosystem, the growth responses of peatland plant species to combined warming and vegetation change are unknown. Here, we used a field warming and vegetation removal experiment to test the hypothesis that dominant species from the three plant functional types present (dwarf-shrubs: Calluna vulgaris; graminoids: Eriophorum vaginatum; bryophytes: Sphagnum capillifolium) contrast in their growth responses to warming and the presence or absence of other plant functional types. Warming was accomplished using open top chambers, which raised air temperature by approximately 0.35 °C, and we measured air and soil microclimate as potential mechanisms through which both experimental factors could influence growth. We found that only Calluna growth increased with experimental warming (by 20%), whereas the presence of dwarf-shrubs and bryophytes increased growth of Sphagnum (46%) and Eriophorum (20%), respectively. Sphagnum growth was also negatively related to soil temperature, which was lower when dwarf-shrubs were present. Dwarf-shrubs may therefore promote Sphagnum growth by cooling the peat surface. Conversely, the effect of bryophyte presence on Eriophorum growth was not related to any change in microclimate, suggesting other factors play a role. In conclusion, our findings reveal contrasting abiotic and biotic controls over dominant peatland plant growth, suggesting that community composition and carbon cycling could be modified by simultaneous climate and vegetation change.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF PLANTS IN HIGH SALINITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. M. Vasilyuk

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The effect of increasing salinity to the morpho-metric parameters of Salix alba L., which dominated in the coastal areas on rivers of Steppe Dnieper, is investigated. We added Mg as salt MgSO4 * 3H2O in the range of concentration: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 g/l in a solution of willow cuttings. In the solution was added and plant growth regulator "Kornevin" the synthetic origin. The negative effect of salt at a concentration from 1.0 g/l to 2.5 g/l in the dynamics of growth and development was found. The correlation between the size and salinity in dynamics of growth and development of plant were demonstrated: in the growth of shoots (R = 0.83, 0.91 and 0.95, in the growth of roots (R = 0.92, 0.68 and 0.84 respectively depended from salt concentration. The length of the leaf blade was from 4% to 8%, from 7% to 43%, from 333% to 11% (R = 0,68, 0,93, 0,61, depending on the concentration of salt and during observing compared with control (distilled water. "Kornevin" and combined effect of salt increased the length of the leaf blade growth by 4-5, 2-4, 3-5 times, the roots by7 and 3-14 times, the shoots by 3-4, 6-7 and 5-7 times in the dynamics of growth compared with control (MgSO4, 2,5 g/l. The recommendations regarding for the advisability of using the plant growth regulator "Kornevin", as very effective plant growth preparation that promoted rooting and activated physiological processes of plant organism, expressed protective effect in conditions of excessive salinity, were provided. Key words: the morpho-metric index, the plant growth regulators, abiotic factors, salinity factor, the adaptation.

Screening of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria from Maize ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Screening of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria from Maize ( Zea Mays ) and Wheat ( Triticum Aestivum ) ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN ... African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Environmental Monitoring Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 450.1, Environmental Protection Program, requires each DOE site to conduct environmental monitoring. Environmental monitoring at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is conducted in order to: (a) Verify and support compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, permits, and orders; (b) Establish baselines and characterize trends in the physical, chemical, and biological condition of effluent and environmental media; (c) Identify potential environmental problems and evaluate the need for remedial actions or measures to mitigate the problems; (d) Detect, characterize, and report unplanned releases; (e) Evaluate the effectiveness of effluent treatment and control, and pollution abatement programs; and (f) Determine compliance with commitments made in environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, safety analysis reports, or other official DOE documents. This Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) explains the rationale and design criteria for the environmental monitoring program, extent and frequency of monitoring and measurements, procedures for laboratory analyses, quality assurance (QA) requirements, program implementation procedures, and direction for the preparation and disposition of reports. Changes to the environmental monitoring program may be necessary to allow the use of advanced technology and new data collection techniques. This EMP will document changes in the environmental monitoring program. Guidance for preparation of EMPs is contained in DOE/EH-0173T, Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance.

Plant growth and development vs. high and low levels of plant-beneficial heavy metal ions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Namira Arif

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Heavy metals (HMs exists in the environment in both forms as essential and non-essential. These HM ions enter in soil biota from various sources like natural and anthropogenic. Essential HMs such as cobalt (Co, copper (Cu, iron (Fe, manganese (Mn, molybdenum (Mo, nickel (Ni, and zinc (Zn plays a beneficial role in plant growth and development. At optimum level these beneficial elements improves the plant’s nutritional level and also several mechanisms essential for the normal growth and better yield of plants. The range of their optimality for land plants is varied. Plant uptake heavy metals as a soluble component or solubilized them by root exudates. While their presence in excess become toxic for plants that switches the plant’s ability to uptake and accumulate other nonessential elements. The increased amount of HMs within the plant tissue displays direct and indirect toxic impacts. Such direct effects are the generation of oxidative stress which further aggravates inhibition of cytoplasmic enzymes and damage to cell structures. Although, indirect possession is the substitution of essential nutrients at plant’s cation exchange sites. These ions readily influence role of various enzymes and proteins, arrest metabolism, and reveal phytotoxicity. On account of recent advancements on beneficial HMs ions Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn in soil-plant system, the present paper: overview the sources of HMs in soils and their uptake and transportation mechanism, here we have discussed the role of metal transporters in transporting the essential metal ions from soil to plants. The role played by Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn at both low and high level on the plant growth and development and the mechanism to alleviate metal toxicity at high level have been also discussed. At the end, on concluding the article we have also discussed the future perspective in respect to beneficial HM ions interaction with plant at both levels.

Host plant invests in growth rather than chemical defense when attacked by a specialist herbivore.

Science.gov (United States)

Arab, Alberto; Trigo, José Roberto

2011-05-01

Plant defensive compounds may be a cost rather than a benefit when plants are attacked by specialist insects that may overcome chemical barriers by strategies such as sequestering plant compounds. Plants may respond to specialist herbivores by compensatory growth rather than chemical defense. To explore the use of defensive chemistry vs. compensatory growth we studied Brugmansia suaveolens (Solanaceae) and the specialist larvae of the ithomiine butterfly Placidina euryanassa, which sequester defensive tropane alkaloids (TAs) from this host plant. We investigated whether the concentration of TAs in B. suaveolens was changed by P. euryanassa damage, and whether plants invest in growth, when damaged by the specialist. Larvae feeding during 24 hr significantly decreased TAs in damaged plants, but they returned to control levels after 15 days without damage. Damaged and undamaged plants did not differ significantly in leaf area after 15 days, indicating compensatory growth. Our results suggest that B. suaveolens responds to herbivory by the specialist P. euryanassa by investing in growth rather than chemical defense.

Effect on growth and nickel content of cabbage plants watered with nickel solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christensen, O B

1979-01-01

Chinese cabbage plants were watered with different concentrations of NiCl/sub 2/ solutions and the effect on growth and uptake of nickel in the plants were studied. No toxic effect on plant growth was observed. A higher content of nickel was found in the plants exposed to more concentrated nickel solutions. Nickel contamination and its clinical consequences are discussed. 29 references, 1 figure, 1 table.

Interactive effects of above- and belowground herbivory and plant competition on plant growth and defence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jing, Y.; Raaijmakers, C.; Kostenko, O.; Kos, M.; Mulder, P.P.J.; Bezemer, T.M.

2015-01-01

Competition and herbivory are two major factors that can influence plant growth and plant defence. Although these two factors are often studied separately, they do not operate independently. We examined how aboveground herbivory by beet armyworm larvae (Spodoptera exigua) and belowground herbivory

Growth and Development of Three-Dimensional Plant Form.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitewoods, Christopher D; Coen, Enrico

2017-09-11

Plants can generate a spectacular array of complex shapes, many of which exhibit elaborate curvature in three dimensions, illustrated for example by orchid flowers and pitcher-plant traps. All of these structures arise through differential growth. Recent findings provide fresh mechanistic insights into how regional cell behaviours may lead to tissue deformations, including anisotropies and curvatures, which shape growing volumes and sheets of cells. Here were review our current understanding of how genes, growth, mechanics, and evolution interact to generate diverse structures. We illustrate problems and approaches with the complex three-dimensional trap of the bladderwort, Utricularia gibba, to show how a multidisciplinary approach can be extended to new model systems to understand how diverse plant shapes can develop and evolve. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

(Plant growth with limited water)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-01

The work supported by DOE in the last year built on our earlier findings that stem growth in soybean subjected to limited water is inhibited first by a physical limitation followed in a few hours by metabolic changes that reduce the extensibility of the cell walls. With time, there is modest recovery in extensibility and a 28kD protein accumulates in the walls of the growth-affected cells. A 31kD protein that was 80% similar in amino acid sequence also was present but did not accumulate in the walls of the stem cells. Explorations of the mRNA for these proteins showed that the mRNA for the 28kD protein increased in the shoot in response to water deprivation but the mRNA for the 31kD protein did not accumulate. In contrast, the roots continued to grow and the mRNA for the 31kD protein accumulated but the mRNA for the 28kD protein was undetectable. We also explored how growth occurs in the absence of an external water supply. We found that, under these conditions, internal water is mobilized from surrounding nongrowing or slowly growing tissues and is used by rapidly growing cells. We showed that a low water potential is normally present in the enlarging tissues and is the likely force that extracts water from the surrounding tissues. We found that it involved a gradient in water potential that extended from the xylem to the outlying cells in the enlarging region and was not observed in the slowly growing basal tissue of the stems of the same plant. The gradient was measured directly with single cell determinations of turgor and osmotic potential in intact plants. The gradient may explain instances of growth inhibition with limited water when there is no change in the turgor of the enlarging cells. 17 refs.

Tolerance of transgenic canola plants (Brassica napus) amended with plant growth-promoting bacteria to flooding stress at a metal-contaminated field site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farwell, Andrea J.; Vesely, Susanne; Nero, Vincent; Rodriguez, Hilda; McCormack, Kimberley; Shah, Saleh; Dixon, D. George; Glick, Bernard R.

2007-01-01

The growth of transgenic canola (Brassica napus) expressing a gene for the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase was compared to non-transformed canola exposed to flooding and elevated soil Ni concentration, in situ. In addition, the ability of the plant growth-promoting bacterium Pseudomonas putida UW4, which also expresses ACC deaminase, to facilitate the growth of non-transformed and transgenic canola under the above mentioned conditions was examined. Transgenic canola and/or canola treated with P. putida UW4 had greater shoot biomass compared to non-transformed canola under low flood-stress conditions. Under high flood-stress conditions, shoot biomass was reduced and Ni accumulation was increased in all instances relative to low flood-stress conditions. This is the first field study to document the increase in plant tolerance utilizing transgenic plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria exposed to multiple stressors. - Using transgenic plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria as phytoremediation methods increased plant tolerance at a metal-contaminated field site under low flood conditions

Technical diagnostics - equipment monitoring for increasing safety and availability of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturm, A.; Foerster, R.

1977-01-01

Utilization of technical diagnostics in equipment monitoring of nuclear power plants for ensuring nuclear safety, economic availability, and for decision making on necessary maintenance is reviewed. Technical diagnostics is subdivided into inspection and early detection of malfunctions. Moreover, combination of technical diagnostics and equipment monitoring, integration of technical diagnostics into maintenance strategy, and problems of introducing early detection of malfunctions into maintenance management of nuclear power plants are also discussed. In addition, a compilation of measuring techniques used in technical diagnostics has been made. The international state of the art of equipment monitoring in PWR nuclear power plants is illustrated by description of the sound and vibration measuring techniques. (author)

PGPR Potentially Improve Growth of Tomato Plants in Salt-Stressed Environment

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Mariam Zameer

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are colonized bacterial species that has the capability to improve plant growth by certain direct and indirect means. Environmental factors including both biotic and abiotic stresses are among the major constraints to crop production. In the current study, the effectiveness of microbial inoculation (Bacillus megaterium for enhancing growth of tomato plants under salt stress conditions has been investigated. Significant improvement in shoot length, root length, leaf surface area, number of leaves, total weight of the shoot and root was observed in tomato plants inoculated with zm7 strain post 15 and 30 days of its application. Zm3, Zm4 and Zm6 strains improved the morphological parameters as compared to the control. Chlorophyll content a, chlorophyll content b, anthocyanin and carotenoid content was increased in tomato plants subjected to Zm7, Zm6 and Zm4 strains. Stress responsive genes; metallothionein and glutothion gene were found highly expressed in Zm7 treated tomato plants as compared to control, untreated plants. Significant correlation of anthocyanin was reported for carotenoids, chlorophyll-b, shoot weight and total weight of seedling while carotenoids were significantly correlated with leaf surface area, root length, chlorophyll-b and anthocyanin. Overall, Zm7 strain proved best for improvement in salt stressed plant’s morphological parameters and biochemical parameters as compared to control, untreated plants.

Effect of vanadium on plant growth and its accumulation in plant tissues

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Narumol Vachirapatama

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate vanadium uptake by Chinese green mustard and tomato plantsand its effect on their growth. Twenty-eight (Chinese green mustard and 79 days (tomato after germination, the plants wereexposed for a further seven days to a solution containing six different concentrations of ammonium metavanadate (0-80 mg/lNH4VO3. The vanadium accumulated in the plant tissues were determined by ion-interaction high performance liquid chromatography,with confirmation by magnetic sector ICP-MS.The results indicated that nutrient solution containing more than 40 mg/l NH4VO3 affected plant growth for bothChinese green mustard and tomato plant. Chinese green mustard grown in the solution containing NH4VO3 at the concentrationsof 40 and 80 mg/l had stem length, number of leaves, dry weight of leaf, stem and root significantly lower than those ofplants grown in the solution containing 0-20 mg/l NH4VO3. Tomato plants were observed to wilt after four days in contactwith the nutrient solutions containing 40 and 80 mg/l NH4VO3. As the vanadium concentrations increased, a resultantdecrease in the stem length, root fresh weight, and fruit fresh weight were noted. The accumulation of vanadium was higher inthe root compared with leaf, stem, or fruit. Measured levels of vanadium, from a nutrient solution containing 40 mg/l NH4VO3,were 328, 340, and 9.66x103 g/g in the leaf, stem and root for Chinese green mustard, and 4.04 and 4.01x103 g/g in the fruitand roots for tomato plants, respectively.

Phosphate solubilization and multiple plant growth promoting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Phosphate solubilizing efficiencies of the strains were analyzed using different insoluble phosphorus sources and the results show that most isolates released a substantial amount of soluble phosphate from tricalcium phosphate, rock phosphate and bone meal. Screening for multiple plant growth promoting attributes ...

The influence of humic acids derived from earthworm-processed organic wastes on plant growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atiyeh, R.M.; Lee, S.; Edwards, C.A.; Arancon, N.Q.; Metzger, J.D. [Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States). Soil Ecology Lab.

2002-08-01

Some effects of humic acids, formed during the breakdown of organic wastes by earthworms (vermicomposting), on plant growth were evaluated. In the first experiment, humic acids were extracted from pig manure vermicompost using the classic alkali/acid fractionation procedure and mixed with a soilless container medium (Metro-Mix 360), to provide a range of 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 mg of humate per kg of dry weight of container medium, and tomato seedlings were grown in the mixtures. In the second experiment, humates extracted from pig manure and food wastes vermicomposts were mixed with vermiculite to provide a range of 0, 50, 125, 250, 500, 1000 and 4000 mg of humate per kg of dry weight of the container medium, and cucumber seedlings were grown in the mixtures. Both tomato and cucumber seedlings were watered daily with a solution containing all nutrients required to ensure that any differences in growth responses were not nutrient-mediated. The incorporation of both types of vermicompost-derived humic acids, into either type of soilless plant growth media, increased the growth of tomato and cucumber plants significantly, in terms of plant heights, leaf areas, shoot and root dry weights. Plant growth increased with increasing concentrations of humic acids incorporated into the medium up to a certain proportion, but this differed according to the plant species, the source of the vermicompost, and the nature of the container medium. Plant growth tended to be increased by treatments of the plants with 50-500 mg/kg humic acids, but often decreased significantly when the concentrations of humic acids derived in the container medium exceeded 500-1000 mg/kg. These growth responses were most probably due to hormone-like activity of humic acids from the vermicomposts or could have been due to plant growth hormones adsorbed onto the humates. (author)

Restoring directional growth sense to plants in space

Science.gov (United States)

Gorgolewski, S.

Introduction of new plant classification: electrotropic (Et) and non-electrotropic (nEt) plants gives us a criterion which plants need electric field to grow "normally" in space. The electric field: E is measured in V/m (volt per meter). Do not confuse "electrotropism" understood by some as the response to current flow transversely through the plant's root. This effect was previously described in biological textbooks. I suggest to call it as (Ct) (here C stands for current and t for tropism). In the laboratory we have in the plant growth chamber two transparent to light (wire mesh) conducting sheets separated by m(meters) and V volts potential difference. It has been shown in laboratory that Et is a very important factor in electrotropic plant development. Space experiments with plants grown in orbit from seed to seed have been fully successful only (in my very best knowledge) with nEt plants. The most common nEt plants are grasses (more than 50% of all plants). The nEt plants in space use phototropism as their sensor of direction. In space (and most greenhouses) we have to provide the electric field at least for the Et plants. It has been shown that the electric field is also beneficial to nEt plants which also acquire the sense of direction imposed by stronger than the normal 130V/m E field (vector). The stronger horizontal E field of 1.6kV/m (slightly more than 12 times stronger than 130V/m) does not influence the rate of growth of maize (which is nEt) in 130V/m vertical field or even in the Faraday cage 0V/m. Yet when the maize gets its leaves, they all lean in the horizontal field (1.6kV/m) towards the anode. The direction of the E vector is defined by the E field lines running from the positive to the negative charges. Because the electric forces are a factor of 1038 times stronger than the gravitational forces, it is not important for the E field whether it acts on ions in the gravity or in weightlessness. We have to recall that on the Earth and in space Et

Plant growth responses of apple and pear trees to doses of glyphosate

Science.gov (United States)

Glyphosate is commonly used for intra-row weed management in perennial plantations, where unintended crop exposure to this herbicide can cause growth reduction. The objective of this research was to analyze the initial plant growth behavior of young apple and pear plants exposed to glyphosate. Glyph...

Assessment of knowledge and skills about growth monitoring amongst multipurpose workers in an ICDS project.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapil, U; Sood, A K; Gaur, D R; Bhasin, S

1991-08-01

Knowledge and skills amongst 34 multipurpose workers working in an ICDS project about growth monitoring was assessed using interview technique. All workers had correct knowledge about rationale of growth monitoring. A total of 73.5% and 94.1% had knowledge that flattened growth curve indicates no weight gain and descending growth indicates decrease in weight, respectively.

Monitoring Systems for Hydropower Plants

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Damaschin Pepa

2015-07-01

Full Text Available One of the most important issue in hydro power industry is to determine the necessary degree of automation in order to improve the operation security. Depending upon the complexity of the system (the power plant equipment the automation specialist will build a philosophy of control following some general principals of security and operation. Helped by the modern digital equipment, today is relative easy to design a complete monitoring and supervising system including all the subparts of a hydro aggregate. A series of sensors and transducers specific for each auxiliary installation of the turbine and generator will be provided, together with a PLC or an industrial PC that will run an application software for implementing the security and control algorithms. The purpose of this paper is to offer a general view of these issues, providing a view of designing an automation & control and security system for hydro power plants of small, medium and big power.

Potential of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and chemical fertilizers on soil enzymes and plant growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)